


Duty-Bound

by TheUnicornFountain



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Bondage, M/M, Wind Waker Ganondorf because he's the best, dubcon, some age difference, some violence/injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-07-18 20:22:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7329466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUnicornFountain/pseuds/TheUnicornFountain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ganondorf is summoned to Hyrule Castle where he learns of a letter that was written and signed in his name, suggesting war between the Gerudo and Hyrule. The initial investigation into the letter brings the Gerudo king and the troubled knight Link together under odd circumstances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, dear readers!
> 
> I wanted to write some Ganlink with a bit more focus on the actual growth of their relationship, so I got the idea for this story. It will be a few chapters long; somewhere between five to eight, probably. 
> 
> Please enjoy, thank you!

# Duty-Bound

### Chapter One: Betrayal

Ganondorf was getting too old for this formal nonsense. Why had he accepted Queen Zelda’s invitation to join her at Hyrule Castle? Why did she even want to speak to him? Most of their dealings were done through ambassadors. The Hyruleans mistrusted the Gerudo, and wanted nothing to do with them outside of trade. They had good reason to be so afraid. Ganondorf’s ancestors had repeatedly tried to take over the Goddesses’ chosen land. Drunk on the need for the power only the Triforce could grant, they had laid siege, committed regicide, and buried themselves in dark magic. But they had all failed in the face of a Hero.

Ganondorf had never been so foolish to repeat his ancestors’ mistakes. As soon as he was crowned king of the Gerudo, he had worked on strengthening diplomatic ties between his country and Hyrule. It was because of him the desert town around his palace was flourishing, and why no war had come to Hyrule in the thirty-plus years since his coronation. 

What could Zelda want? Surely not marriage. She had wed one Prince Ralph only a year ago, and was currently heavy with their first child. Perhaps she wanted to promise her first son to one of Ganondorf’s daughters? Ridiculous. The idea alone of joining their kingdoms was out of the question, and mixing their races would make her people riot against her. But what else would require his presence when they both did their best to ignore each other? 

Perhaps she was cutting all ties to the Gerudo? Alone in his carriage, Ganondorf allowed himself a moment of panic. His tribe had become too reliant on trade with Hyrule. They would never survive the loss unless they chose to leave their home forever. And the Gerudo, being a prideful tribe, would rather die than abandon their way of life. No, they would fight back. They would urge Ganondorf to declare war.

_Because that’s worked so well in the past,_ Ganondorf thought darkly. He settled into his seat, folded his hands in his lap, and sighed. He could only wait and see what came of the meeting.

#

Zelda met Ganondorf in her private study. A pair of soldiers escorted him through the shining halls of Hyrule Castle. Servants quickened their pace at the sight of the Gerudo king, who was dressed in his best _hakama_ and _kimono._ A _haori_ helped to disguise the strong chest that many took for a fat gut. All of it was dyed black, with dragons stitched into the _haori_ in golden thread. His _obi_ proudly showed the Gerudo crest, in case there were any doubts about whom he represented.

One of the soldiers opened the door of the study and bowed Ganondorf into the room. The soldier then took up his spot to the left of the door while his fellow took up the other side. Queen Zelda sat within. Her pregnant stomach was hidden behind a grand desk that reeked of expensive taste. More of Zelda’s penchant for riches hung from her ears, wrists, and neck; the latter laid over a maternity dress of the highest quality. Everything about her spoke of perfection, and it made Ganondorf’s stomach churn. He much preferred the dusty, lively, and unpredictable women of his tribe. 

Standing behind Zelda, to her right by a window, was a young man in knight’s armor. Ganondorf recognized the stoic face, accented by blonde hair and blue eyes. This was Zelda’s personal knight. Rumors about the two Hylians’ less-than professional relationship had made it to even Ganondorf’s ears over the past year. He didn’t know if they were true (people loved to gossip) and neither did he care. He gave the young man—Link, that was his name—a quick once-over, noting the hand resting on the pommel of the sword on his waist. Link continued to stare straight ahead at the coat of arms on the wall opposite him.

“King Ganondorf,” Zelda greeted in a stiff voice. The first hint of trouble trickled down Ganondorf’s back. “Forgive me for not rising, but my child is misbehaving today.” She dropped a hand to her stomach, and her face twisted in faint pain.

“Of course, Queen Zelda,” Ganondorf returned, and he bowed. “I hope the day finds you otherwise well.”

“Unfortunately, that is not the case,” Zelda said. Her eyes were hard when they fixed on Ganondorf. Something was wrong. Ganondorf didn’t need to wait long to find out what. “Yesterday morning one of my soldiers caught a spy in the market square with an unsettling letter in his possession.” Zelda opened a drawer in her desk; it barely made a sound. From the drawer she pulled out a letter that she unfolded and turned atop the desk to present it to Ganondorf. “The letter details plans for a hostile takeover of Hyrule, and your signature caps it off.”

Ganondorf was momentarily taken aback. He had written no such letter, and had no such desires. He said as much to Zelda before leaning over the desk to look closer at the letter. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Link step forward and half-draw his sword.

Zelda raised a hand to stall her knight, and he took back his step. His gaze, however, was now solely for Ganondorf. “I want to believe you, King Ganondorf. You have been a good ally to my kingdom, and have never shown any inclination towards war. But the fact is, this letter exists. How do you explain that?”

“I… I don’t know,” Ganondorf said. He was reading the letter as fast as he could while his mind raced. The letter’s contents were clearly of violent nature. There was no mistaking the intention behind the letter writer. “Who was the spy you found? My warriors don’t associate with men outside of the occasional tryst.”

Zelda shrugged. “He put up a fight, and was killed by my men in the struggle. No one recognized him.”

“And the receiver of the letter? Do we know who that is?”

“We’re working on finding that out. While there is no name in plain sight, my scribes have noticed some oddities in the words chosen in the letter. They believe there’s a hidden message within the letter. Perhaps it’s a clue to the identity of the person meant to receive it. But back to the matter at hand, King Ganondorf. Can you prove to me you had nothing to do with this letter. Because if not...” Zelda let the threat hang, unspoken. 

Ganondorf scanned the letter again, looking for clues. He found one at once, and in his signature no less. “There are two different hands in this letter,” he pointed out. The body of the letter—the work of the transcriber, no doubt—and the signature. But neither one is mine.”

Zelda’s eyes narrowed. “And you can prove that?”

Ganondorf allowed himself a small chuckle. “How many treaties do you have in your records room that bear my signature? It’s a simple matter to compare them.”

“You could have purposefully signed this in a different hand,” Zelda pointed out with an angry tap of a finger on the letter.

“Why?” Ganondorf questioned. “What would be the point, given the details for war in plain sight? You have only one ally with a history of war against Hyrule, Queen Zelda. Even without my signature, the natural assumption would have been to blame me. Perhaps that’s what the letter’s writer intended.”

Zelda snorted. “You’re suggesting someone is setting you up?” Her amusement dried up in the face of Ganondorf’s unfaltering glare. “I will admit it’s a possibility. Someone with low opinions of the Gerudo may want to find a means of driving a wedge between your kingdom and mine.” A delicate finger tapped at her chin. “Very well. I will first have my scribes compare this letter to our treaties to establish if the signature is yours. If not, we will move our investigation to the letter’s origin. With luck, we’ll have an answer by tomorrow.”

Ganondorf was impressed. “Your people work fast.”

Zelda smirked. “We’ve grown quite skilled at rousing rats from their nests. This isn’t the first time the Royal Family has received threats.” Zelda picked up the letter and turned to her knight. “Link, take this downstairs to the records room and inform the scribes of their task.” 

Ganondorf arched an eyebrow. Not “Sir” Link? There was no respect in Zelda’s voice for her knight; the man who guarded her very life. Her tone was like that of a sullen master addressing their lame hound. 

However, Link was unperturbed. He accepted the letter with a respectful, “Yes, my Queen,” bowed to her, and left the room. He glanced at Ganondorf on his way out. The look was one of cautious curiosity this time. It was the first hint of emotion Link had shown in front of him.

“King Ganondorf, I will have a room arranged for your stay tonight,” Zelda announced. She made to push herself up. Ganondorf hurried around the desk and offered a hand, which she took with a grateful smile. 

“When is the child due?” Ganondorf asked as he walked the queen out of the study.

“A little more than a month from now,” Zelda answered. She sucked in a heavy breath. “My apologies for my current state, and for my short temper with you. The pregnancy is weighing on me.”

“There are no apologies needed,” Ganondorf assured her. “I have spent all of my life in a tribe of women, and have fathered many daughters. I understand the heavy task you are going through.”

“You are very kind,” Zelda said. “It is a pity such an unfortunate turn of events has necessitated your visit this time.”

“We will find the person behind this, Queen Zelda, and you will rest easy knowing I am still your grateful ally. Perhaps the next time I visit, it will be to bestow a gift upon your newly-born heir.”

“I am planning a grand celebration. Ralph doesn’t understand all of the fuss, but he is not the one bearing this weight. It will be as much a celebration of my freedom from the shackles of pregnancy as it will be for the birth of my child.”

Ganondorf laughed, turning the heads of the soldiers who guarded the end of the hall he and Zelda had just exited. He and the queen talked more as they made their way to Zelda’s chambers. There she left him with a word of gratitude before vanishing into her bedroom. 

A servant found Ganondorf and led him to his guest quarters. The furniture was lush, and the view of the gardens was beautiful, but Ganondorf would have traded it all to know then and there who was trying to make war between his people and Hyrule. 

Ganondorf spent the rest of the day in his room. A servant brought him first lunch, and then dinner. Between the meals Ganondorf occupied himself with the books in the room, or rested. No soldiers arrived to take him into custody, and he took that as a sign that things were going in his favor downstairs in the records room. 

The last of the sun had vanished beneath the horizon when Ganondorf decided to turn in for the night. But he had barely pulled the blanket up to his chin when a dull _thump_ turned his eyes upwards to the ceiling of the bedroom. It sparked his curiosity. He was so used to the quiet halls of his palace that any strange sounds at night caught his attention—even if he was a guest in an unfamiliar castle. For all he knew, someone had simply dropped a chamber pot. But when the _thump_ repeated, followed by a commanding muted voice, he swung back out of bed and pulled his _haori_ back on over his smallclothes.

There were guards posted in the hall outside Ganondorf’s room. He didn’t want to be bothered by their curiosity, or raise suspicions, so he used a bit of sorcery to cloak his appearance and silence his steps. With these tricks on his side, it was child’s play to slip past the guards and climb the stairs to the floor above. He didn’t need to wander in search of the sounds’ source, as a sharper sound guided him down a hall on his right. This was the way to Zelda’s chambers, but there were no guards in sight. Was that on the princess’s orders? And if so, why?

Ganondorf followed the hall to its end. By now he could recognize the unrestrained gasps and moans in his ears as indeed belonging to Zelda. The sounds led him to a closed door. A bit of sorcery made the top half of the door transparent to his eyes, and he looked in at the bed within the room. Zelda was mounted atop Link, her pregnant belly resting on his flatter one. She was stripped bare with her head thrown back in ecstasy as her hips moved. Her goldenrod hair shimmered in the moonlight that lit half of the room. 

Link’s wrists were lashed to the headboard, and one of Zelda’s stockings was stuffed in his mouth. The strain in his arms and face told Ganondorf he wasn’t fond of being tied down. He was helpless, however, as Zelda rode him at her whim. When he dared to shift a leg, Zelda dropped her head forward, dug her nails in, and smiled at him. “What’s wrong?” she asked in a breathless voice. “I thought you were fond of me. Well?”

Link nodded, breathing hard around the gag. 

“Then why are you so distracted tonight?” Zelda asked next. “Could it be the Gerudo king who is on your mind? I saw that look you gave him. It was the same one you once gave Ralph’s maid, and the stableman before her. The same one you gave me.”

Link shook his head from side to side in fierce denial, and Zelda laughed. “I’m only kidding,” she assured him. One of her fingers trailed down his left cheek, tauntingly close to removing the gag. “Now I want to see some real effort, Link. Prove your love to me.”

Ganondorf removed the spell from the bedroom door and turned around to return to his room. So the rumors were true. It mattered little to him that Zelda was fucking someone on the side, nor did it surprise him. It was common knowledge in the kingdom that royal marriages were often full of infidelity. No, what stuck in his mind was the strain in Link’s body, and the way Zelda had treated him in her study earlier that day. He put his life on the line to protect hers, and she had no respect for him. She simply used him.

Link’s circumstances were still on Ganondorf’s mind long after he had crawled back into bed. He didn’t remember falling asleep, but waking up was far more memorable. A flurry of knocks sounded on his bedroom door, and he had just enough time to rise out of bed before a soldier’s voice called, “Queen Zelda requires your presence in the throne room!”

“Give me a moment!” Ganondorf called back. He grumbled beneath his breath the whole while as he dressed and arranged his hair into an acceptable state. He supposed there wouldn’t be any breakfast for him this morning. Once he was ready, he exited the room to find a soldier waiting for him. Only one. That had to be a good sign. The soldier bowed and respectfully requested that Ganondorf follow him.

The throne room was in the heart of Hyrule Castle’s first floor. The ceiling was as tall as that of the Temple of Time’s, but instead of stained glass and effigies of the Goddesses there were royal pennants and portraits. A young Zelda smiled down at Ganondorf as he made his way down the center of the room. She looked innocent and full of light.

The grown queen who sat on her throne also carried a certain light. Alongside the warm glow of pregnancy a sense of righteousness beamed from her confident figure. She was at place in her role, and no one could say she didn’t hold her kingdom’s prosperity as the highest importance. Ganondorf saw the extent of this loyalty to her people in the scene before him. Soldiers were situated at regular intervals along the walls of the throne, and a knight had taken a protective stance to the throne’s right. But that knight wasn’t Link. He instead lay on the floor gagged, blindfolded, and stripped bare. Tight ropes bound his ankles, thighs, and arms. To his credit he lay in silence. Only the rise and fall of his chest gave away the panic running through him.

“My dear King Ganondorf,” Zelda greeted in a warm voice when Ganondorf stopped to kneel before her. Link lay not ten feet before him, but he knew better than to stare. “As you can see, this morning brings good news for both of us. The identity of one of the hands in the letter has been found. You can imagine my surprise and shock when I learned that your forged signature matched one of a witness who had signed many of the very treaties he had hoped to undo with his plans.”

Ganondorf looked to Link in search of any signs of denial. Zelda drew his attention back up when she continued, “Yes, it was my own Sir Link, a man who had sworn to protect me until the end of days. As soon as I was told the news this morning I ordered his immediate arrest. The evidence against him is clear, and to try him as the traitor he is would only stir up panic in the kingdom. Therefore, I have decided a swift punishment is in order—and I will leave it to you, King Ganondorf.”

Ganondorf frowned. “I don’t understand, my Queen.”

Zelda smiled and simplified, “It was your name and tribe he tried to sully, so I will leave the choice to you: exile or execution.”

_Exile or execution._ The words rang in Ganondorf’s head. He stared down at the bound man before him while he weighed the decision. Was this knight truly a traitor? He found it hard to believe, but he found it equally hard to see why Zelda would cast away someone she was so fond of manipulating; someone of such loyalty. There was no reason behind it. 

What if he refused to make a decision? What sort of light would that paint him in? He might be seen as weak, or as one who was hiding a guilty conscience. He couldn’t afford either of those opinions. They could lead to takeover or war as easily as the letter could, and his people wouldn’t survive. 

Link shifted the slightest bit, drawing Ganondorf’s eye. He saw the faint marks in the Hylian’s side where Zelda’s nails had dug in last night. It stirred a feeling of pity in Ganondorf’s heart, and he found himself saying, “Exile.”

“So be it,” Zelda said. A jerk of her head called forward two soldiers who grabbed Link and hauled him out of the throne room. “You have a sympathetic heart, King Ganondorf, and I admire that.”

Ganondorf raised his eyes from the spot where Link had once lay. “Thank you, Queen Zelda,” he returned. “You, too, were kind in your choice to hold back immediate retribution. I’m sure even Link’s traitorous heart appreciated that.” 

“My last gift to him,” Zelda said with a laugh. “Oh, but I must extend a gift to you as well, King Ganondorf, for dragging you across the kingdom and making you suffer such an agonizing wait. I entreat you to join me for dinner this evening as an apology.”

It would have been foolish to refuse, so Ganondorf replied, “I would be honored, my Queen.” He doubted, however, he would be able to force much food down into his uneasy stomach.

#

Ganondorf was encouraged to stay another night to avoid traveling in the dark. He took the queen up on her offer, and stayed in the same room as the night before. Although it was quieter this time, he slept little. His hungry, uneasy stomach and the heavy decision he had made distracted him most of the night. He managed two hours of sleep before rising with the sun. He would sleep on the ride home.

Zelda met with him before he climbed into his carriage. After a string of formal goodbyes between the two of them, Ganondorf kissed the back of her hand and climbed into his carriage. He paused when Zelda said, “I’ve sent your gift ahead of you. Please accept it with my sincere apologies.”

“Of course,” Ganondorf said, nodding, and he closed the carriage door with a sigh. He wondered what had been bestowed on him this time. Zelda was fond of sending him everything from Hyrulean horses (which were inferior compared to Gerudian stock) to pleasure slaves. At least the latter gave him a few night’s enjoyment. Exploring a foreign man’s or woman’s body was a nice change now and again. Inevitably though, like the horses, the slaves were set free. The idea of keeping a prisoner when his own people had suffered at Hyrule’s hands in the past… It unsettled Ganondorf.

The rock of the carriage sent Ganondorf off into a much sounder sleep than the plush bed had provided. He arrived at his palace well-rested and was greeted by several of his daughters. They showered him with love and hounded his steps until he encouraged them to get back to their studies. The girls took their leave in a giggling group, and Ganondorf continued into the quiet sanctuary of his chambers.

In anticipation of his arrival, someone had lit the lamps in his room and stoked the fire against the cold of the oncoming night. The firelight filled the space with a warm glow, and Ganondorf’s eyes dropped to the new addition to the room when it whimpered in fear. His eyes glided over the bare, shaking body and the ropes that bit into its pale skin. Why didn’t he see this coming? 

“You’re Link,” Ganondorf said. In response, the bound ex-knight curled his body as tight as his bindings allowed. Ganondorf crossed the room to inspect him. He appeared to be in greater pain than he had shown the day before. The reason why was clear in the agitated skin around the bindings, and the fresh brand that marked him. It was the Triforce, only upside down and with a vertical line halving it. The mark of a traitor. It was always placed between the shoulder blades so that the accused would feel the weight of their crimes on their back for the rest of their lives.

Ganondorf dropped to his knees beside the quivering Hylian. Link stank of fear, sweat, and dried piss. Bruises pointed out where the soldiers had been roughest with him. “It was a long trip here, I see,” Ganondorf remarked. Link tried to retreat, but he couldn’t move any farther away. “If you promise you won’t attack me or scream, I’ll remove the ropes and get you cleaned up. Deal?”

Link nodded at once, having no other means of communicating at the moment. Zelda had obviously trained him to be obedient; almost to a fault.

Ganondorf began with the blindfold. Once it was removed and Link could see, the Hylian seemed to calm down some. The gag came next, and the first words out of Link’s hoarse throat were, “Thank you, my lord.”

Ganondorf frowned at that. There was no hint of bigotry in Link’s tone. He pushed the observation aside for a moment and pulled a small knife out of his sleeve. Link tensed, and Ganondorf said, “You need to relax or it will be harder to cut them off. I might hurt you by accident.”

“Yes, my lord,” Link said. He relaxed his muscles and closed his eyes against the sight of the blade. Bit by bit his limbs were freed until the remnants of the ropes lay around him like slain snakes. Their departure revealed lines of chafed skin and more bruising. 

Ganondorf slipped the knife back up his sleeve and stood up with a grunt of effort. “Lay there for a while and get your blood moving again while I draw you a bath.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“And stop calling me _my lord._ Use my name or nothing else.”

Link gave a meek nod, and Ganondorf turned away to vanish into the bathroom. Like the fireplace, the tub had been prepared for him as well. He warmed the water with some magic and added in healing herbs to sooth away any pain. When the water was wafting medicinal steam, Ganondorf returned to the bedroom and helped Link to his feet. The Hylian limped the short distance, and he needed to be lifted into the tub. He sunk into the water with a gasp, tensing up again. He soon relaxed and dropped the back of his head against the wall of the tub. 

Ganondorf left him like that while he set out on a mission to find clothes that would fit the Hylian. There were spare shirts and slacks in his warriors’ quarters. The shirt’s cut was a bit feminine, but Ganondorf felt it would fit Link’s small frame well enough. He returned to his chambers with two sets of clothes in-hand. Link was sitting up in the tub and running a soapy cloth over his body with care. His hair stuck up in stiff, sudsy spikes. 

“Here are some clothes,” Ganondorf announced as he dropped the garments onto a table by a washbasin. “I’m afraid I don’t have smallclothes for you. I’ll have them made along with better-fitting shirts.”

“Thank you, my—” Link stopped himself just in time. 

“I will have some food and drink brought up for you, and then you should rest. If you need anything, ask any of my tribe whom you see. They’ll know to treat you with kindness.”

Link nodded this time, and with that Ganondorf left him to his privacy. There was good Gerudian food calling to his hungry stomach in the kitchen downstairs, and he had to arrange Link’s meal regardless. He followed the halls and stairs down, feeling relaxed for the first time since his arrival to Hyrule Castle. He didn’t think about what he was going to do with Link, or what Zelda’s intentions were behind sending the exiled knight to him. Tonight was for collecting himself and making Link comfortable.

Returning to his chambers later that night, Ganondorf found Link’s dinner plates picked clean and the drink cup dry. The Hylian was curled up on the floor in front of the fireplace, eyes closed. Perhaps he had been too afraid to take the Gerudo king’s bed. Ganondorf picked him up—Link, deep in an exhausted sleep, never stirred—and carried him to the bed where he tucked him under the warm blankets. The bed was more than wide enough for both of them, and Ganondorf slipped in on the other side. A wave of his hand extinguished the lamps, and soothing darkness fell around him.


	2. Give and Take

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf learns a bit more about Link in his first few days with the Hylian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your interest in this story, and please enjoy this chapter!

### Chapter Two: Give and Take

Ganondorf was the first to rise in the morning. The warming day coaxed him out of his dreams, and he sat up in the bed with a wide-mouthed yawn. His jaw creaked, and he smacked his lips together a few times. Seeing Link sleeping on the other side of the bed gave him a small shock; he had forgotten about Zelda’s “gift.” The memories rushed back, and he dropped his forehead into a hand with a sigh. The question returned as well: _What am I going to do with him?_

Nothing about this was of the norm. This wasn’t a simple exile or worker sent to please Ganondorf and tickle Zelda’s odd sense of humor. There was almost a sense of maliciousness behind it all. But at whom was that malicious aimed? Link, or Ganondorf? Perhaps both of them? Or maybe Zelda just liked her twisted games. Yes, that must be it. He was just over-thinking it all. 

Ganondorf pushed the blanket aside and swung his legs out over the edge of the bed. A sound behind him caught his attention, and he looked back at Link. He watched a tremor rock the Hylian’s body, and saw the thin fingers spasm closed. A whimper of fear or pain parted his lips. He was dreaming—having a nightmare, more like. Ganondorf’s hand moved towards Link’s head, but there he paused. He had already intruded upon Link’s personal life more than enough; whether intentionally or not it didn’t matter. Anything more had to be given willingly. Ganondorf drew his hand back and pushed up from the bed. His back crackled in protest. So much for aging gracefully like the Gerudo kings of the past.

In the kitchen downstairs, Ganondorf had breakfast with his tribe and arranged for a meal to be taken to Link. The Gerudo who returned from this task giggled and remarked, “He’s fond of sleeping in.”

A mischievous look and similar laughter passed between the women seated around Ganondorf. “Let him rest,” Ganondorf said at once. The women groaned in exaggerated disappointment.

Ganondorf spent the morning seeing to clothes for Link, and holding audiences with a few people moving through the area. He kept an ear open for the excited talk that would signal Link’s awakening. When he finally did hear a commotion, it was more in alarm. One of the guards came running up to him outside by the archery range, where he had been inspecting the area for any damage caused by sandstorms. There was no reason for her to catch her breath—his warriors were well-trained—so it was with a strong voice tinged by concern that she announced, “The Hylian Link has been spotted by our scouts heading for the border gate! They tried to stop him, but he outran them.”

Ganondorf’s gut sank. The boy was walking towards his death. Any soldier who recognized the exile would at once put him to the sword, and there were soldiers not a hundred feet away from the border gate on the Hyrulean side. They would have horses, and they would run him down. If he was lucky he would get a quick death. If he was lucky.

“Do you require anything, my king?” the guard asked. Ganondorf shook his head and dismissed her. He didn’t need speed to catch Link. Magic would do fine. It surrounded him like black flames, and he was consumed by them. An instant later, his sandals touched down onto claypan. Before him, hundreds of yards away, loomed the wooden gate that marked the only way in or out between Hyrule and the Gerudo territory. Much closer was Link, who was a mere twenty feet away. To get this far he must have slipped away after his breakfast was delivered. Even then he likely jogged most of the way. Ganondorf could see the blood streaking his bare soles from where the unyielding ground had cut into his skin. It spotted Link’s trail here and there. He had discarded his shirt at some point—foolish boy, spoiled by Hyrule’s fair weather—and the sun had already beat his back and shoulders red. The brand stood out in angry white lines.

Ganondorf shouted for Link to stop. Link looked back with a startled face, and when he saw who stood behind him he broke out into a limping run. Ganondorf waited. It didn’t take long. Link’s pained feet tripped him up, and he went sprawling across the claypan with a breathless cry. He tried to stand again, but his tired body failed him.

Ganondorf closed the distance between them. One of his sandals braced itself against Link’s burnt neck, and he asked, “Shall I kill you here? I promise it will be a much more merciful death than the soldiers on the other side of that gate will allow.”

“Please…” Link said, and at first Ganondorf thought he was begging to be killed. “Please, my lord, let me go. I need to go back. I must go back.”

Ganondorf shook his head. “You are an exile. Do I need to explain the meaning of the word to you?”

A tear streaked down Link’s cheek, cutting through the dust and sand that peppered it. “Please,” he begged again. “I must return. She told me… She said I could see her. I want to see her!” He began to cry in earnest.

“’Her?’” Ganondorf repeated. “Hasn’t it gotten through your skull yet? Queen Zelda cares nothing for you. She would have executed you on the spot if your letter had put her regency at stake instead of mine.”

“No,” Link sobbed. “Not my queen.”

_Of course she would,_ Ganondorf was going to say when he realized there was another meaning behind Link’s words. “You mean there’s another? Another woman you were seeing?” 

“No,” Link repeated. 

“A sister? A mother?”

Link denied both before breaking down into tears. Whom could he mean? There was no one else Ganondorf could think of who would make Link risk his life. He had only seemed to show interest in the qu--

Ganondorf drew his sandal back and stared down at Link. The Hylian kept his cheek flat against the ground, and his eyes respectfully down. “The child… King Ralph isn’t the father, is he?”

Link curled up and covered his face with an arm. Shame and grief rose off of him like the shimmering heat that wafted off of the desert ground. Ganondorf could think of nothing to say, but he knew he had to get Link out of the sun before he died from either heatstroke or dehydration. He knelt down by the Hylian and put a hand out on his shoulder. The reddened skin gave off its own heat, adding to the illusion of the flames that surrounded the two of them. They reappeared in Ganondorf’s chambers. Link raised his head at the change of scenery and watched Ganondorf walk across the room to where a water pitcher sat on a table. A cool glass of water was poured and brought back to Link, who sat up to accept it. 

“You were foolish to walk out into the desert,” Ganondorf scolded. “You could have easily died before you ever saw the border gate. What were you thinking?”

Link dropped his eyes. “I’m sorry I defied you, my lord.”

Ganondorf didn’t bother to correct Link. He walked to another table where a large, spiky green plant sat in a broad pot. Link had never seen such a plant before. He watched, curious, as Ganondorf cut off a spiky leaf at its base. He returned to Link with the stiff leaf in-hand, knelt down behind him, and cut the leaf in half down its length. Pulling the halves apart revealed a semi-transparent gel that Ganondorf scooped out with the tip of the knife. The gel was smeared against Link’s sunburned skin, and he gasped and squirmed under its cool touch.

“You have a lot to learn about living in the desert,” Ganondorf remarked while his hands liberally applied the aloe. “This isn’t Hyrule. There are only two seasons: hot, and hotter. You won’t last a week unless you change your ways.”

“Yes, my lord,” Link murmured. Now that the shock of its touch had worn off, Link found the cool gel soothing. He closed his eyes and relaxed into Ganondorf’s hands. 

“Stop calling me that,” Ganondorf grumbled. 

“Queen Zelda told me I must be respectful towards you,” Link explained. “She said my life is in your hands. She said you owned me now.”

Ganondorf scoffed. “Did she tell you all this while her soldiers were beating you senseless?” Link gave no answer. “What else did she say?”

“That I am to obey you,” Link answered. “Anything you ask of me, I must give.”

“I’m curious, did she actually use the words ‘pleasure slave,’ or was in insinuated?”

Link’s neck bobbed in a swallow. “She used the words—among others.”

“Of course she did,” Ganondorf said in a dark voice. “She loves her games. Don’t move.”

Link nodded, and Ganondorf pushed himself onto his feet. He vanished into the washroom for a few seconds before reemerging. After he knelt down again, a hand pressed flat against Link’s chest. The Hylian tensed, the recent conversation fresh on his mind. But the hand was merely holding down the end of a bandage. Ganondorf wrapped the bandage around Link’s chest twice, securing the loose end, before moving on to cover the rest of Link’s sunburn. His feet came next. Ganondorf washed them clean with a damp rag before bandaging them as well. 

Ganondorf chuckled. “You look like a gibdo. I applied a bit of magic to the bandages. The worst of your injuries should be healed by the evening. You should stay out of the sun until then nonetheless. You have full access to the palace, so spend the day learning your way around it.”

Link bowed his head in thanks. He liked a good challenge, and the palace’s labyrinthine halls would certainly provide one. 

“And stay out of trouble,” Ganondorf added. “If I see you take a single step towards that border gate, I’ll cut your feet off.”

Link cowered a bit under the threat and nodded in compliance. He was still seated on the floor in a meek silence when Ganondorf left his chambers a minute later.

#

At every corner, Ganondorf expected to run into Link. He wasn’t sure why; the palace was large enough to allow him to easily avoid the Hylian. But some feeling played at the back of his head. It was as if an invisible string was there, tugging between him and Link. Ganondorf worked hard to ignore the feeling, as it distracted him often. He succeeded by dinnertime, only to have it kick up again when he returned to his chambers later in the evening and found Link within. 

Link had removed his bandages and was watching them burn in the fireplace. His feet were healed of all but the faintest scratches, and the skin on his back and neck had been softened to a pale pink. By tomorrow morning it would all be cleared. For a brief moment, Ganondorf saw the knight within Link. The Hylian’s back was straight, his chin was level, and the strength in his slight body was defined by toned muscles. It all shrank away into trepidation at the sound of the chamber door snapping closed. 

Ganondorf crossed the room and began to strip out of his clothes. “In all your wanderings today you didn’t come across a room that better suited you than mine?”

Link dropped his eyes and mumbled something at his lap. 

“Speak up, I can’t hear you.”

Link closed his eyes for a moment as if bracing himself. “I… I assumed I was to fulfill my duty to you every night.”

Ganondorf snorted a laugh. “Duty? Is that how you validated allowing Queen Zelda to treat you the way she did?” Link didn’t answer, and Ganondorf shook his head. “That sort of subservience takes a strong hand to temper. How long did it take for her to have you on your knees? How much longer after were you lapping at her cunt like the dog she made you into?”

The words had no effect on Link that Ganondorf could see. Zelda had broken him well. Were there any emotions left in the Hylian? Did he have any will aside from a desire to serve? Well yes, Ganondorf realized. He thought back on the grief that had taken over Link when he realized he would never see the child he had fathered. The baby wasn’t even born yet and already it had him in its snare. 

_Just like its mother,_ Ganondorf thought with a grim look on his face. Now stripped bare, he went into the washroom and warmed the bath that had been prepared for him. He lay in the tub with his arms resting on the sides and his eyes looking towards the open washroom door. Link sat framed in it, highlighted by the fireplace in yellow and orange. His face had adopted the stoic expression that was on it when Ganondorf visited Zelda. 

_I need to find some means of breaking him in my own way,_ Ganondorf thought to himself. Zelda had shattered Link into submissive pieces, but Ganondorf wanted to crush those pieces to dust and start anew.

Link’s dead expression broke when the sound of splattering water announced Ganondorf’s exit from the tub. He watched the Gerudo king towel off and change into nightclothes before emerging from the washroom. Link dropped his eyes when Ganondorf walked past him. He listened, head down, to the clatter of the water pitcher and the gulps of water that followed. The bed creaked under Ganondorf’s weight, and Link’s pointed ears twitched when the Gerudo called, “Come here.”

Link stood up, walked to the bed, and took the seat Ganondorf’s patting hand indicated. They sat side-by-side for a while in silence—Ganondorf contemplative, and Link anxious. The Hylian nearly jumped when Ganondorf spoke up. 

“So, have you ever slept with a man before? Answer my questions this time.”

Link’s hands wrung each other between his thighs. “Yes. There was a stableman at the castle… I like horses, so we got to talking and… and more.” He swallowed. “Zelda found out. She always found out whenever I… lapsed in my loyalty to her. I never saw him again. He disappeared. I didn’t dare ask. It was easier to forget.”

The crack in Link’s voice told Ganondorf it wasn’t so easy. “How much has she taken away from you over the years?”

There were tears forming in Link’s eyes. Why? He shook his head and said, “I would give anything for my queen. Whatever she asked was hers to have.”

“But what did she give in return?” Ganondorf asked. 

Link closed his eyes. “I asked for nothing. It was enough to know she put such trust in me.”

“So long as you put a baby in her belly, right?”

“I trusted her in return. I trusted her judgment. She did what she thought was best!”

Link was growing almost hysterical. His chest heaved with each breath he took, and his fingernails were digging into his thighs. He was refusing to open his eyes, even as tears streaked down his face. He was refusing to see the truth.

“Link,” Ganondorf said, softly. He reached up with his right hand and snagged Link’s chin to turn the Hylian’s head. Link’s lips, wet from salty tears, tasted like the ocean. With his left hand, Ganondorf coaxed the Hylian’s tense fingers away from his thighs. The hand next shifted up to the front of Link’s pants. The drawstring was pulled loose.

Link broke out of the kiss to look down at his lap, and Ganondorf saw the naked fear in his profile. He pulled his hand away and drew back. “I just remembered, I had something to attend to before bed.” He stood up and pulled his _haori_ back over himself with no more explanation. “Whether you spend the night here or not is up to you, but decide before I return.” He left, heading for no particular destination, and fell to wandering the halls of the palace. He walked from one side of the building to the other, and then from the top to the bottom before climbing back up to his chambers. 

Link had taken the time alone to reach a decision. Ganondorf had to move a limp arm off of his pillow before he could rest his head on it. The Hylian was already deep in slumber, resting on his belly. Ganondorf admired his ability to fall asleep so quickly. The Gerudo was likely going to be up for at least another hour, mulling over what little he had learned from Link tonight. For a brief moment Link’s guard had dropped, revealing the cracked facade behind it. There was a lot of work ahead of Ganondorf if he was going to fix the fractured ex-knight. He turned over onto his side and frowned into the semi-darkness.

#

Ganondorf was once again the first to rise out of bed, but as he knocked around the bedroom Link stirred and sat up. He rubbed the bleariness from his eyes and stretched his arms up over his head with a crack of his spine. The sound drew Ganondorf’s attention. “You’re awake. Your clothes were finished yesterday. I put them in the second drawer there.” He pointed to a bureau. “Put something on and meet me outside.” Link nodded and shifted out of bed, and Ganondorf left to give him some privacy. 

Ganondorf wasn’t kept waiting long. Not ten minutes had passed when Link emerged from the palace. He put a hand up against the sun and squinted at Ganondorf. He was wearing a shirt of the finest Gerudo cotton, dyed the light purple of the desert lupines that grew around the palace. The seamstresses had done a fine job with the fitting. 

Link approached Ganondorf and asked, “Did you need something, my lord?”

Was he that forgetful, or that submissive? Ganondorf didn’t bother discouraging the title. “I have a project for you,” he instead answered. “You said you like horses?” Link nodded at this. “Are you any good with them?”

“I like to think so,” Link said with enough confidence to convince Ganondorf. 

“Good. There’s a mare I have that was gifted to me by Queen Zelda half a year ago. I think it was a joke, because the horse is more wild than any mustang. We’ve been unable to break her, and in all honesty we should have butchered her for the meat long ago. But I admire her vivacity. I only wish I could approach her.”

“You want me to try my hand with her?” Link guessed, and Ganondorf confirmed this. “May I see her?”

Ganondorf led Link around the palace to the stables in the back. Several wide paddocks surrounded the stables. Gerudo-bred horses occupied one paddock, intermixed here and there with a horse of Hyrulean descent. Ganondorf walked up to the paddock fence with Link trailing, and he pointed at a sorrel mare with a white mane, tail, and stockings. “That’s her. She gets along well enough with other horses, but not people.”

As if to confirm this, the mare took off running across the paddock. Upon stopping, she bucked and kicked at empty air. Link stared at the mare with wide, unblinking eyes. Was that fear in his expression? Ganondorf gestured towards the mare and said, “Good luck.”

Link pushed away from the fence and walked down to the nearest stile. The horses, not recognizing him, moved away when he descended into the paddock. A clear line of sight grew between Link and the mare, and the wind pushed his scent towards her. The mare lifted her head with a snort. A hoof pawed at the ground, and she tossed her mane. 

Link dropped to one knee and whistled a descending note. The mare’s ears pivoted towards the sound, and she reared with a whinny. When her front hooves touched down again, she began to trot a tight circle. Link repeated the whistle, a little louder this time, and the mare broke out of her circle to charge at him.

Ganondorf had no time to cast any magic. The mare was swift as she bore down on Link, reaching him in a few strides. There she halted, snorted the dust out of her nose, and dropped her head to where Link was crouched. Ganondorf thought she would bite him. Instead, she nuzzled at the hand he raised and closed her eyes when he stroked her nose. 

It was over as quickly as that. Link stood up, and Ganondorf phased through the paddock fence with a bit of magic. The mare didn’t charge at him like she had so often in the past. She looked content for the first time ever. When Link wrapped his arms around her head and dropped a cheek to her forelock, Ganondorf remarked, “I take it the two of you have met?”

“Epona,” Link whispered. He kissed the mare’s nose, and she nickered. “I thought she was dead. Oh Goddesses, if I had known… Epona, I’m sorry.” He hid his wet eyes in her coat. “Queen Zelda tried to ride her once. I wasn’t around, and Epona threw her. She… She told me she had Epona put down. She said Epona was dangerous.”

“Instead, she shoved her off on me,” Ganondorf finished. Was it a stroke of mercy? No, Ganondorf was sure he was right in his initial guess that it had been yet another joke. “So she was your horse?” he asked Link, and the Hylian nodded. “Then to you I return her—although I’m afraid you condemn her to a life here if you take her back.”

Link stroked Epona’s neck with a slow hand. It felt so good to see her again; he couldn’t put into words his joy. “She’s healthy, and she has lots of company. It doesn’t seem that bad a life for her to remain here.” He turned to Ganondorf and bowed deeply, although his body shook with happiness. “Thank you, my lord.”

Ganondorf drew closer to Epona and reached out to run a hand down her side. Her body thrummed under his palm. Was that her joy at seeing her master again? He patted her and pointed to the stables. “You’ll find tack in there. Feel free to ride her anywhere within my territory, but mind the heat. I’ve seen more than one horse collapse from sunstroke in my lifetime.”

The permission put a smile on Link’s face. Ganondorf was sure it was the first time he had seen the expression on the Hylian. Link clicked his tongue at Epona, and she followed him back to the stables like a foal shadowing her mother. The smile was still there when Link rode out of the building atop his beloved mare.


	3. Flawed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf and Link share a bit about themselves, and grow closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

### Chapter Three: Flawed

When Link returned to Ganondorf’s chambers that evening, he brought with him the strong scent of horse. Ganondorf could smell it from the washroom where he was relaxing in a tub of warm water. He called Link into the room, and the Hylian approached with eyes down. 

“You stink,” Ganondorf put bluntly, and Link blushed. “Get in the tub.”

“With you, my lord?” Link asked. Ganondorf’s silence was answer enough. With slow movements, Link pulled off his boots—another gift from the Gerudo—and stripped off his clothes. They puddled around his feet, and he stepped out of them. 

Ganondorf couldn’t help but admire Link’s taut muscles when his hands gripped the tub to steady himself as he swung a leg in. Moving quickly, the Hylian submerged himself in the dark water to hide his nakedness. The tub was more than big enough for the two of them, but Link cowered against the far end while he scrubbed the smell of horse from his skin. Once he was done, Ganondorf called him closer. Only then did Link unfold himself and move down the tub’s length.

“I shall wash your hair,” Ganondorf said. “Turn around and sit in front of me.”

Link shook his head. “You don’t need to concern yourself with me, my lord. I am capable enough—”

“You misunderstand,” Ganondorf cut in. “In my tribe, washing one’s hair is a bonding ritual. By washing another’s hair, you are ridding them of any ill thoughts that have gotten caught in the strands during the day. You are taking those worries into your hands and rinsing them away.”

Link had to admit the ritual sounded pleasant enough, even if it was purely symbolic. Appeased, he turned around with care and settled between Ganondorf’s submerged legs. Ganondorf began by tilting Link’s head back and running a small bucket of water over his hair to dampen it. From a table that sat by the tub, he pulled off a bottle of hair tonic and filled a palm with it. To Link, it smelled like the inside of a spice cabinet. The tonic was distributed between Ganondorf’s hands before they threaded through Link’s damp hair, leaving behind the tonic. It was worked into the Hylian’s scalp with slow, sure motions.

The comforting massage eased Link’s eyes closed, and the scent of the tonic filled his nose, further soothing him. He wasn’t sure if his worries were being washed away, but the attention certainly distracted him from them. He tilted his head further back and shuddered when Ganondorf’s fingertips scratched gently around his ears. That in particular felt amazing, and he was sure Ganondorf picked up on it and lingered a little longer before pulling away. It was time to rinse. The water washed over Link’s hair, and as it poured over his shoulders he imagined it was taking all of his fears with it.

Ganondorf allowed the bucket to float away. “How do you feel?” he asked Link.

Link turned around to face him, although his eyes never rose higher than Ganondorf’s neck. “Better,” he replied. “Should… Should I wash your hair now, my lord?”

“Only if you want to,” Ganondorf answered. 

“I do,” Link assured him. “To show my thanks.” The bucket was bobbing nearby. He snatched it up and rose onto his knees. He inched forward, moving up the inside of Ganondorf’s spread legs until he could go no further. It wasn’t close enough; even sitting, Ganondorf was taller.

“Here.” Ganondorf took hold of the back of Link’s knees and coaxed them up onto his wide thighs. Link shot out a hand against the Gerudo’s shoulder to steady himself. “How’s that?”

Link could certainly reach now, but he was too nervous to unbend his back. He could almost feel the side of the tub banging into his head should he topple over. So he knelt, hunched over the bucket he held against his chest while his braced arm trembled. 

Ganondorf’s hands took hold of Link’s waist and urged him to straighten up. His eight fingers spread around Link’s hips while his thumbs slid into the folds of the Hylian’s groin as if they belonged there. With both arms free to move and a steady stance, Link was finally able to scoop up water into the bucket. He poured it over Ganondorf’s head and watched the water follow the path of the chinstrap beard. 

The tonic came next. Link filled his palms with it much like Ganondorf had done. The rich red hair slipped around his fingers like silk as he massaged the tonic into the scalp. There were a few gray hairs mixed in, but Link was wise enough not to point them out. More gray hairs spotted Ganondorf’s beard. Link learned that the Gerudo liked his beard scratched where it traced the line of his jawbone. He murmured approval when Link paid special attention there, and his hands tightened around the Hylian’s waist. Link’s hips subconsciously canted forward.

A few bucketfuls of water rinsed away Ganondorf’s worries. He opened his eyes, blinking away water, and watched Link carefully lower the bucket onto the table. His hands were still around the Hylian’s waist. “Link, look at me,” Ganondorf said, and Link shifted his eyes to the Gerudo’s chest. 

“No.” Ganondorf shook his head. “I said _look_ at me. Can you meet my eyes for once? Do you have courage enough for that?” He stared up at Link, not daring to blink in case he would miss the first instant of eye contact. Link’s eyes shifted to the left, and a somber expression came to his face. The water was growing cold around them. 

Ganondorf dropped his hands from Link’s waist. “We should get out before I become even more of a wrinkly old man.” He watched Link rise and climb out of the tub before following suit. They toweled off in a shared silence. Link was first to redress, and as soon as he had slacks on he retreated to the bed where he buried himself in the blankets. 

At a slower pace, Ganondorf followed Link into the bed. He lowered himself into his usual spot but then shifted over until he was nearly spooning Link. He raised himself up on one bent arm and braced the other in front of Link’s tucked hands, nearly covering the Hylian. Ganondorf was determined to catch Link’s gaze, but Link ignored the Gerudo’s overwhelming presence hanging over him. “Why won’t you look at me?” Ganondorf asked him.

“I don’t want to be disrespectful, my lord,” Link answered. “You are a king, and I am a mere exile. I’m not worthy to meet your eyes.”

“Is that something Queen Zelda hammered into you?” Ganondorf asked next. Link didn’t reply. “Link, I promise you that we are more equals than you and Queen Zelda ever were, or will be. My entire tribe lives in exile, and although I am their king my status in the eyes of the Hyrulean court is lower than that of a flea-ridden dog.”

Again Link neither answered nor looked up at Ganondorf. However, one of his hands shifted so that he could run a finger along a pale line of scar tissue on Ganondorf’s braced forearm. It was several inches long, and ragged. “What happened here?”

Had he changed the subject on purpose? It didn’t matter to Ganondorf so long as the knight’s silence didn’t persist. He traced the scar with a quick glance, recalling the memory. “A bullbo horn caught me in the arm several years back. We used to breed them for their meat and strength, but Queen Zelda put a stop to that not long after her coronation. She was afraid we would use them in war against Hyrule.”

“I imagine the horn hurt.”

“At the time, yes. But skin heals much better than a mind or soul. It’s just another scar in my collection now.”

“You have others?”

“A few more, but none of them have as thrilling a story behind them as this one.”

Link drew his hand back from Ganondorf’s arm. “I have only once scar.” He paused, and Ganondorf knew they were both thinking about the brand. “I suppose I should feel lucky,” Link picked up, “but it just means I’m less interesting than those who have many of them.”

“Your scars are the kind that don’t blemish the skin,” Ganondorf told him. He raised his hand to draw back Link’s right sidelock, and he placed a lingering kiss into the small hollow beneath the Hylian’s ear where the jawbone began. He hadn’t been blind to Link’s sensitivity there while washing his hair. Link shuddered just as he had in the tub, and he buried his face into his pillow to hide the blush that rose in his cheeks. “That is where her lies burrowed into your mind.”

Link lifted his face in surprise, and Ganondorf’s mouth nibbled at his shoulder. “Here is a crack from the weight of her threats on your back.” He shifted down the bed, trailing his tongue first over the brand, and then along the hills and valleys of Link’s vertebrae until he reached the small of the back. “This is where your spine was softened by her blows.”

Link turned over onto his back, but that was fine. Ganondorf trailed his fingertips across the Hylian’s stomach. “Your belly yellowed in her shadow.” He tongued Link’s bellybutton and watched it dip away in a contraction of grief. At any point Link could tell him to stop, or refute the claims, but he was helpless in the wake of how easily Ganondorf saw his scars.

With his teeth, Ganondorf pulled loose the drawstrings of Link’s slacks. His fingers dropped the belt-line down, and he buried his nose and mouth into the hair that grew at the root of Link’s cock. “This is where she finally broke you.”

The tears that had been welling in Link’s eyes fell away to trail down either side of his head. He hid them with an arm, but Ganondorf moved back up the bed and gently pulled the arm away. He kissed the corners of Link’s closed eyes, and then pushed the Hylian’s bangs up to kiss his forehead. “I will heal you,” Ganondorf promised. “I will break her ties on you and rebuild you. Link, look into my eyes and know I speak the truth.”

Link’s eyelids opened, and he blinked away the tears that clung to his eyelashes. Ganondorf’s irises were a warm yellow; almost a gold. There was no falsehood in the gaze. Ganondorf’s kiss was just as warm and honest. There was want in it, of course, but there was also care. His tongue touched Link’s almost shyly; judging the Hylian’s willingness. He must have found something lacking, however, because he eventually broke the kiss to say, “Not tonight, either.”

Only then did Link realized how tense his body had grown. So that was what had tipped Ganondorf off. “I’m sorry, my lord—” Link began.

Ganondorf hushed any further apology. “Get some sleep,” he urged Link. 

Link rolled over onto his left side again with a feeling of disappointment in himself. It was soothed away some when Ganondorf’s warm chest pressed against his back, and his strong arm wrapped around Link’s tense body. Comforted, Link closed his eyes and slipped into sleep.

#

It was the next afternoon, and after a morning of gentle riding Link had returned to Ganondorf’s palace in search of relief from the desert heat. The Gerudo king introduced him to the natural pool that sat beneath a sunlit cavern not far from the palace. It was a popular place for the tribe to swim and bathe when the sun was at its hottest. Underground springs fed into the pool, keeping the water naturally cool. More water dripped down from stalactites.

There was a large group of Gerudo soldiers at one end of the pool. They swam together and took turns sitting on the edge of the pool; most were naked. Their conversation echoed around the cavern, making it impossible to discern anything but laughter. They greeted Ganondorf and Link with enthusiasm when the men walked by before returning to their discussions. Link followed Ganondorf to the quieter end of the pool, his eyes respectfully down.

Link was wearing a shirt the color of forest trees today. He was reluctant to take it off; green was his favorite color. He settled for shucking off his boots, rolling up his pants, and dropping his legs into the pool. Ganondorf stripped down and slipped into the water. He dipped beneath the surface of the water several times, always shaking his head like a dog when he reemerged. Once he was thoroughly cooled off, he folded his arms atop Link’s thighs and looked up at the Hylian’s puzzled face. “Will you tell me about yourself?”

“What does my lord wish to know?” Link asked. He was still clinging to formalities, even as Ganondorf’s wet arms dampened his pants. At least he wasn’t afraid to meet the Gerudo’s eyes anymore.

“Tell me about your life,” Ganondorf said. “Give me the summary of events that led you into Queen Zelda’s… service.”

“There isn’t much to tell,” Link said with a shrug. His left hand idly stroked at Ganondorf’s beard. A subconscious habit, these teasing little touches; likely drilled into him by Zelda. Ganondorf appreciated it nonetheless. “I grew up without parents in the town orphanage. They told me I had been found at the edge of the woods as a babe. I went nameless for a while because rupees were tight at the orphanage, and they had no idea if they could afford to have me stick around. Best not to get attached, am I right, my lord?”

Ganondorf saw something flash across Link’s face at those words, and the Hylian’s stroking fingers stalled. After a pause, he shivered as if cold and resumed. “The orphanage received a large, anonymous donation a few weeks later, and my place there was guaranteed. They named me Link when they saw I was favoring my left hand. It means ‘left’ in Old Hyrulean.”

“And how long were you there?” Ganondorf asked. He lifted a hand to Link’s and pulled the thin fingers into his mouth. He could give little touches of attention, too.

“Until I was about ten,” Link answered. His eyes were fixed on Ganondorf’s teasing mouth. Was there a hitch in his breathing just then? Ganondorf wanted to think so. “That’s when Princess Zelda came for me. She was my age. I was told that she wanted a companion—a playmate—and she chose me. I was to live in the castle with her. I didn’t have a choice in the matter, but if I did I still would have said yes. To someone like me, an orphan, the castle was an otherworldly place full of riches and adventure. And it certainly was, but as the months passed I began to get a bad feeling from Princess Zelda. She was kind to me, and we got along well, but there was something about her… I could never put my finger on it.”

“Until it was too late?” Ganondorf guessed. He released Link’s fingers and suckled at the pulse in the Hylian’s left wrist.

“That came later,” Link said. “When I turned twelve, I was put into the barracks to learn how to be a soldier. Princess Zelda had a fantasy of making me her protector and knight in shining armor. I didn’t object. I was looking for adventure, and I had always admired the soldiers who guarded the castle. I wanted to learn how to use a sword and bow.”

Ganondorf could sense a _but_ behind the words. He paused in his attentions and waited.

Link swallowed around a tight throat. “The Captain of the Guard liked me. A lot. I wasn’t rough and dirty like the other, poorer cadets. I had been pampered by my years in the castle, and I had always looked a little feminine. I was only there a week before he raped me the first time. There were many times after that.” Link shrugged again when Ganondorf looked up at him in alarm. “What could I do, my lord? Refuse him? Rat him out? He was my only path to knighthood, and I didn’t want to bring scandal down onto the Royal Family. So I just endured it until I was dubbed a knight, and I joined Princess Zelda’s side. He didn’t dare touch me then.”

 _But Princess Zelda certainly dared._ Ganondorf could see it now: an abused, troubled knight conditioned to be manipulated, further molded in the strong-willed princess’s hands. It must have been easy for her, and simply habit for Link. But she hadn’t stopped at using him for her pleasure. She had made him almost entirely dependent upon her love, and loyal to a fault; a perfect slave. Even when he was forced to do things against his desire, the will she had shattered in him made it impossible for him to refuse.

“So that’s my life story,” Link finished. “A bit dull isn’t it, my lord?”

 _If only,_ Ganondorf thought. “Were there any times when you wished you had never met her? Perhaps when she was forcing herself onto you?”

The question was more a test than simple curiosity, and Link failed it. “She never forced herself. I was always willing.”

“Is that so?” Ganondorf pressed. “She struck me as a… creative sort. Certainly she could get up to all sorts of things in her bedchamber, and I doubt you were fond of all of it. Maybe she liked to tie you up. She seemed the controlling type.”

Link absentmindedly rubbed at his wrists. “Whatever Queen Zelda asked of me, I gave her.”

“No, she _took_ it,” Ganondorf corrected. Link bit his lower lip and looked away. “Link, she’s not here. She can’t punish you. You belong to me know, remember? I’ve been honest with you the whole time, and I only ask for the same in return. If I was anything like Queen Zelda, you would still be tied up on my bedchamber floor. So trust me when I say I will never hurt you, or force you into a situation you don’t want to be in.”

Link dropped his chin to his chest. His attempt to hide the tears in his eyes was thwarted by the simple fact that Ganondorf could feel them drop onto his cheeks. “She…” Link broke off to wipe at his eyes with the heel of a palm. “She would tie me up and gag me. I would wake up to find my hands lashed to the headboard, and half-choking on whatever she had stuffed into my mouth. Then she…” He sucked in a harsh breath, held it for a few seconds, and continued in a shaking voice, “She would tease me until I was hard, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. It was just easier to go along with it.”

“Was it?” Ganondorf asked, quietly. “I imagine it was hard feeling your body betray you, but perhaps that was easier for you than betraying your queen.”

Link’s body was trembling, and the tears were falling more freely. He was still holding something back. Ganondorf took hold of Link’s thighs and stared up into the Hylian’s shadowed face. “Even so, I know what you truly want to say, so say it. I can see the words on your tongue. Free them. She has no hold over you anymore.”

Link’s mouth clenched shut, and his eyes closed. He was still holding some of his feelings back. Ganondorf watched him struggle to reign them in; to put on the stoic expression he was so practiced at. But his efforts fell apart, and anger took over the fear and grief. A glimpse of the knight in Link came through when he shouted at his lap, _“At those times, I only felt hate for her!”_ His shout echoed around the cavern. The admission sent a final tremor through him, and then the shaking subsided. A part of Link’s fractured form was crushed into dust, and Ganondorf could see a hint of armor revealed. It shined with its own light, and was tougher than the fragile piece that had hid it.

“How do you feel?” Ganondorf asked. 

Link was sucking in breath after breath as if he had just finished a footrace. When he made to move forward, Ganondorf backed up to give him room, and Link slipped into the water. He immersed himself at once, and a stream of bubbles floated up from his open mouth. When Link straightened up and emerged into open air, his first breath was slow and calm. “Better, my lord, thank you.” 

Link’s shirt was soaked. Ganondorf eyed with approval the small nubs of the Hylian’s nipples and the dip of his bellybutton that was hinted at beneath the clinging fabric. His hands moved through the water on their own to take hold of Link’s hips. This time the Hylian’s body stayed lax when Ganondorf began to pay attention to it. He first dropped his lips to Link’s chest where he began to suckle the water out of the patch of shirt that hid the right nipple. His lips and teeth tugged at the sensitive nub during the act, and Link moaned and wrapped an arm around Ganondorf’s broad shoulders. 

It almost felt wrong given what Link had revealed only minutes ago, but Ganondorf wanted nothing more than to touch Link and feel the warmth of his body in his hands. Link’s tale of abuse had only strengthened Ganondorf’s protective instinct towards the Hylian, and also his arousal. He wanted to remind Link that sex wasn’t purely a tool of intimidation or manipulation. He wanted to make Link feel good with no obligation attached.

_Is that even possible given the situation Zelda has put him in?_

That thought, along with a voice of reason, kept Ganondorf in check. A public bath wasn’t the place for a full-on fuck, and Link wasn’t in the right state of mind, but they could improvise. He pressed Link back against the side of the pool, and the Hylian chuckled at the show of enthusiasm. Something had loosened in him, set free by the secrets he had spilled, and so it was with a willing body that he mirrored Ganondorf’s grinding hips when they drew close together. His arms folded back to brace against the ground, and Ganondorf laid his hands flat on either side of them. Link whimpered with want when the Gerudo’s large, bare cock began to rub against his smaller, clothed one. His lips parted, and Ganondorf took the invitation to lean in and seal them with a kiss.

The snap of Ganondorf’s hips grew more desperate the more Link moaned and begged for release. Despite their attempts at subtlety, the water sloshed around them; their lazy kissing grew more intense. They forgot they were being watched and instead lost themselves to the climax building between them.

Ganondorf came first, his cock grinding against Link’s pants as strings of cum spasmed from its head to mix with the disturbed water. He raised his head with a satisfied cry and thrust out the last of his orgasm. Then his lips dropped to Link’s ear, and he whispered encouragement while Link frotted against his thigh. “Come for me, Link. Come, my little knight.” He pressed his thigh further up between Link’s legs and began to rub in sync with the thrusts of Link’s hips. 

“I… I can’t…” 

Ganondorf felt Link’s expression twist against his cheek. He drew his head back some and saw the pain in the Hylian’s face. His cock was still hard against the Gerudo’s thigh, but something about it was hindering Link. What was making him struggle so? Ganondorf couldn’t say for sure, although he had plenty of guesses. That would come later, however. He captured Link’s lips with his own again and, disguised behind the kissing, he slipped in a bit of magic. 

Link’s breathing hitched, and he broke out of the kiss to roll his head back with a cry. Ganondorf helped him ride out his orgasm until Link’s grinding slowed, then stopped. The water stilled around them while they collected their breath.

Link dropped his head forward and, groaning, lifted himself up out of the water. His legs and arms trembled in the aftermath of the rigorous activity, but he looked relieved. 

Ganondorf bowed over and folded Link’s beltline down. Link put a hand on the Gerudo’s forehead as if to stop him, but pulled it away when Ganondorf began to lick up the diluted cum he found inside. His cock twitched at the taste of it, but he turned down his body’s desire for another round. 

“Thank you, my lord,” Link sighed, a faint smile on his lips. “That was a far more refreshing dip than I expected.” His expression dropped when he remembered the group of bathing warriors. He looked across the pool to find the ladies whispering and giggling amongst themselves. Self-consciousness deepened the flush in Link’s body. 

“Pay them no mind,” Ganondorf said. He kissed Link’s clothed thigh before hoisting himself out of the pool; the water buoyed him, making the job easier. “I’m going to get dried off, and then I think I could use some lunch. Feel free to join me in the kitchen after you change.”

“Yes, my lord,” Link said. Even now it was hard to tell if he answered out of obedience or willingness. There was still much work ahead of Ganondorf, it seemed.


	4. Breaking Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf breaks a few of Link's bonds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy, thank you!

### Chapter Four: Breaking Free

Link had a healthy appetite, which was something Ganondorf was glad to see. He sat across from the Gerudo and took bite after bite of the meat and potatoes on his plate. Ganondorf ate at a slower pace, as he had much on his mind and the thoughts slowed his hand. Link wasn’t oblivious to this. Halfway through his meal, he asked in a cautious voice, “Is everything all right, my lord?”

Ganondorf swallowed the piece of gristle he was worrying in his mouth. “I’m just curious,” he began, and Link tilted his head a little in question. “Why did Queen Zelda insist on having your child when she was already married to King Ralph?”

“Oh.” Link’s fork paused for the first time, and he lowered it down to his plate without taking a bite. “It’s… It’s not widely known…”

“I understand if you can’t talk about it.”

“No, no, that’s not it, my lord. It shouldn’t matter, right? I’m not a knight anymore.” Link lifted the fork, took the bite he had put on hold, and after swallowing he continued, “It’s a secret, actually. King Ralph is impotent. His and my queen’s marriage was purely a political one. Labrynna was a struggling kingdom, and my queen saw a chance and took it. She agreed to marry King Ralph and unite their kingdoms. In doing so, she expanded Hyrule’s dominion. Her only condition was that King Ralph didn’t inquire after the father of their heir.”

Ganondorf had heard rumors about King Ralph’s inability to produce an heir, but seeing how it didn’t affect the Gerudo he never bothered to look into the gossip. “But why you?” he asked Link. “Why did Zelda want you to be the father?”

Link lowered his eyes. “I don’t know, my lord.”

He was lying. Was it out of fear of his queen, or respect? Ganondorf decided not to push the subject. There was no advantage in knowing why, and no reason to make Link fear him. “Stop calling me ‘lord,’” Ganondorf said to ease the tension. Link nodded, looking a little more relaxed. “By the way,” Ganondorf spoke up next, and Link glanced at him. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two, my—” Link cut himself off with a self-conscious blush.

“That all?” Ganondorf said with a chuckle. “I’m forty-six, but sometimes I feel like I’m eighty.”

“I’ve heard Gerudo men live for more than a hundred years,” Link said. “Is that true?”

“Unfortunately,” Ganondorf sighed. “That means I have at least sixty more years of getting old to go.”

“You don’t look bad for your age,” Link remarked, and the self-conscious blush bloomed again. Ganondorf chuckled at that. “Do you regret anything about your life so far? Would you go back and change something, if you were able?”

It was a surprising question from someone as meek as Link. Ganondorf raised a thick eyebrow in surprise, then brought it together alongside its twin in a contemplative frown. What would he change, if able? For a moment, his thoughts went to the green fields of Hyrule. He thought on all of the treaties he had signed alongside Zelda’s name; paper shackles meant to keep those green fields in his dreams only. Then the thoughts shifted to the third signature on those treaties, and Ganondorf met Link’s eyes. “If I could change one thing, I would make sure I was the one who found you on the edge of those woods as a babe.” Link’s gaze widened in surprise before they hastily looked away. “What about yourself? What would you change?”

The fork danced in Link’s nervous hand. An answer never came, and without explanation he stood up and whispered, “Ex-excuse me, my lord.” He left the kitchen in a rush.

Ganondorf didn’t call after him, or chase him down. He finished his meal as well as the abandoned half of Link’s. When both plates were empty, he left the kitchen in search of the Hylian. He first checked his chambers, followed by the stables. Epona walked up to the paddock fence to greet him, but Link was nowhere around. Perhaps he was outside elsewhere. There were the training grounds; that may have caught his interest.

Said grounds were on top of a hill behind the stronghold. Ganondorf was halfway up the path to them when something in his left peripheral caught his eye. He looked across the stronghold’s flat roof, which was even with the uphill path at this point. On the far side, a pale figure sat on the edge of a roof. Ganondorf broke away from the path and crossed the roofs at an easy pace. Link caught sight of him early on, but he didn’t flee or ward the Gerudo off. He dropped his chin to his folded knees and stared out across the fortress. 

When Ganondorf reached Link, he eased himself down onto the roof edge with a groan, and the Hylian tensed. They sat together in the quiet heat for a minute or so until Ganondorf spoke up. “I’m sorry if my words offended you.”

“They didn’t, my lord,” Link said in a quiet voice. “I was… I was just surprised. I’m not used to people caring about me to such an extent, and you’ve only just met me.”

“I understand,” Ganondorf said.

Link shook his head. “It wasn’t just that, my lord. I was only being curious, asking such a question, and once I heard your answer I grew afraid. Sure enough, you asked me the same in turn, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to come up with an answer. What does that say about me, my lord?” Link hid his face behind his knees. “What sort of person can’t find one thing they would change after living such a miserable life?”

“The sort of person who has no concept of true freedom,” Ganondorf answered. Link raised his head in surprise and turned wet eyes onto him. “All of your life you’ve been controlled—whether by the matrons in the orphanage, that sadistic captain, or your conniving queen. Never once has your life been taken into your own hands. You’ve allowed others to mold you until you have no sense of self, and to the point where you are dependent on servitude.”

Link could only stare at him. Ganondorf wondered how he was feeling, having heard his life summed up in so few sentences. He imagined it was hard to hear it all put into words, but it had to be said. Link couldn’t begin to heal if he remained in denial. “Let me give you a taste of true freedom,” Ganondorf offered, and he held out an open palm. Link took it, and Ganondorf used his sorcery to warp them to the Zora River where it cut through Gerudo Valley. When the black flames vanished, he released Link’s hand and whistled high.

The sound of heavy wings beating at the air caught Link’s ears, and they twitched. He raised his head when a shadow darkened him. A massive, dark blue bird swooped in to land atop a nearby arch of stone. It had long, bright tail feathers and a red feathered head. Its crest and beak were reminiscent of a rooster. Link took a step back when the bird’s yellow eyes looked down at him, but Ganondorf laughed and dubbed the creature a helmaroc. He next reached into a sleeve and pulled out a pear-like fruit. The fruit’s blemishes gave it the look of a sad face. 

“Take a bite of this,” Ganondorf instructed before he held out the pear. When Link hesitated, he explained, “It’s a hyoi pear. It will allow you to share the helmaroc’s body.”

Link’s frown clearly spoke his doubt, but he took the pear nonetheless and bit out a chunk of it. The flesh was squishy and slightly bitter; he shuddered when he swallowed the mouthful. Ganondorf took the remainder of the pear back and tossed it up high towards the helmaroc. The bird’s beak snapped out to snatch the fruit out of midair.

Link gasped when his perspective of the valley shifted. He was now looking down, and at himself no less. He watched himself stagger back, and saw Ganondorf take hold of him. 

“Easy,” Ganondorf said. The helmaroc had good ears alongside its fantastic eyesight. It focused on Ganondorf, and Link heard him speak both in his ear as well as in the bird’s. “You’re joined with the helmaroc’s mind now. It takes a bit of getting used to, but don’t be afraid. If you want to break the connection, you only need to think hard enough on it.”

“I…” It was strange. Link was speaking the words, but at the same time his feathered throat was unable to form anything but clucks and chirps. The duality threw him off for a moment until he realized it was easier to concentrate on being only the helmaroc instead of trying to be both the bird and himself. Once he got a grasp of that, he found it was surprisingly easy. His mind steadied, and the racing heart in his true body calmed down.

“Good, good,” Ganondorf praised. He was looking exclusively at the helmaroc now. Link met his eyes. Was that him turning the bird’s head? Ganondorf answered the question the next moment. “You’re in full control now. Why don’t you go for a flight and feel what real freedom is like? Just stay away from any Hyrulean army camps. I’ll wait here and keep an eye over your body.”

Wait, did he mean…? Link receded a little, giving room for the helmaroc’s mind to join him. He found the bird knew exactly what to do. Its sharp talons pushed off from the stone arch and it beat its powerful wings to gain lift. The heat baking off of the valley buoyed the bird up. It stiffened its wings and rode the waves of heat up in a spiral until Ganondorf was little bigger than an ant. The Zora River was a silver ribbon cutting through the brown desert land. Far off to the left, the helmaroc’s eyes could see the start of Hyrule Field and, even further, a hint of white that was Castle Town’s curtain wall. The sight of the castle put longing in Link’s heart, and he felt the connection to the helmaroc fray a little.

“Easy,” a deep voice urged in Link’s ear. He was hearing Ganondorf, speaking to his body down on the ground. Link turned his thoughts away from Hyrule and focused on the valley far below. He could see in the helmaroc’s mind that it was a waterbird, and the fresh water beckoned it. Link gave no second thoughts to tucking the helmaroc’s wings in and dropping into a stoop. They plummeted together like a stone. The wind roared in their ears and slipped over their streamlined body. A flex of a wing here and there kept them straight as they dropped down between the valley’s narrow walls. The river was growing closer; it filled the helmaroc’s vision. At seemingly the last moment, the wings fanned open and the helmaroc straightened out to glide inches over the roaring river. Their wingtips grazed the valley walls with each flap as they rose again to follow the river in the more open space of the sky.

Gerudo Valley was left behind, and before the helmaroc the silver smear of Lake Hylia widened across the horizon. Through a break in the cliffs they glided out across the lake and took roost on the lone tree that sat at the lake’s heart. A few guays were upset from their perches, but they were too smart to try and drive away the helmaroc. 

Link had only ever visited Lake Hylia as either Zelda’s escort, or as part of his training. He never had the chance to enjoy the lake’s water or beauty, as there had always been obligations and distractions. Now he took in every detail with the helmaroc’s superior sight and hearing. It soothed him, and he hunkered down to fall into a light doze. After a long while of soaking in the quiet lap of the water and the sparkle of the sun on the lake surface, Link urged the helmaroc back into the air. They fell into a lazy glide over the lake before turning towards the deep forest beyond the cliffs. The green treetops pressed up against their feathered breast, and Link lost himself to the sights and sounds; keeping only a small part of his attention devoted to avoiding any Hyrulean posts.

“Are you coming back sometime tonight?”

The voice was both far away and to Link’s immediate right. He dragged himself away from the calming flight—now weaving in and out of the northern mountains—and looked through his true eyes to find his body lay within a large, quiet tent. The sky beyond the tent’s flaps was dark with twilight. Link’s thoughts stirred as if he had just woken up, and he heard himself ask aloud, “How long have I been gone?”

“I lost count after the third hour,” Ganondorf answered. He was lounging on his side to Link’s left, on the spread of blankets that covered the tent floor. The shelter had been placed in Gerudo Valley to provide relief to any guards on patrol, but now it was empty and quiet. 

Link broke the connection to the helmaroc. His consciousness at once snapped back to a sole focus, and he felt his body prickle in pain when the sleeping muscles woke up. Despite the uncomfortable feeling, he sat up and smiled to himself. He had never experienced anything like the freedom the helmaroc’s body had allowed. “I want to try it again,” he told Ganondorf, his eyes bright.

“Not anytime soon,” Ganondorf answered. When Link’s face fell, he added, “It’s for your own safety. It’s too easy to get addicted to escaping your own body and mind, and you spent far more time wrapped up in my helmaroc’s mind than even I did on my first try. Let’s not push it.” He smiled a little. “So how did it feel?”

Link smiled back and lowered himself down onto his stomach. His lips found Ganondorf’s mouth, and he gave the Gerudo a warm kiss. “Like that, but at least ten times better.”

“You’ve obviously have had some poor kissing experiences,” Ganondorf teased. “Now what does that say about your beloved queen, I wonder?”

Link returned in an equally teasing voice, “What does that say about you, who’ve had me in his possession for several days now, my lord?”

That deferential title again… Ganondorf caught Link’s chin in a hand. “Now you’ve done it,” he whispered. “What did I say about using that title around me? I’ll need to punish you.”

There was enough gibe in Ganondorf’s voice to reassure Link he was only joking. Even so, there was a shake to Link’s words when he asked, “How so, my lord?”

“Well…” Ganondorf shifted in place so that his head and feet changed positions. “I’ll just need to offer you an experience that will put to shame any enjoyment you got out of flying.” He reached up and tugged loose the drawstrings of Link’s pants. Link squirmed a little when his beltline slid down his thighs, but it was out of eagerness rather than discomfort. It appeared the flight had further loosed what the truth-telling had earlier that day. 

Ganondorf took hold of Link’s cock and sucked it into his mouth. He heard the Hylian gasp in response. Hands pushed and pulled at his thighs as he slicked the cock with his spit so as to better run his hand up and down it. Link stiffened more against his tongue with each passing stroke, and his hips tilted towards Ganondorf’s mouth. The Gerudo responded by fully enveloping the cock, pulling it deep into his throat. He tasted pre-cum at the back of his tongue, and his swallow dragged a wanting moan from Link. The taste and sound was enough to encourage his cock to start hardening. He didn’t realize Link had noticed until he felt the Hylian tugging his clothes out of the way. 

Link’s thin fingers wrapped around Ganondorf’s cock, and his warm gasps for breath sent twitches through it. “You’re so big, my lord,” Link remarked. He flicked his tongue across the head of the cock and felt Ganondorf’s moan around his own. It was impossible to take the whole of the Gerudo into his mouth, but Link did what he could and used his hand to make up for the difference. 

Ganondorf wanted nothing more than to thrust deep into Link’s warm mouth with abandon, but he would be no better than the Hylian’s abusers if he gave in to such a rash desire. He settled for rolling over onto his back and pulling Link’s ass up to his face. Link yelped in surprise, and the legs spread on either side of Ganondorf’s head made as if to straighten. But the first touch of a tongue at his entrance changed Link’s mind. He ground back against Ganondorf; feeling the scratch of the beard on the inside of his thighs while he rubbed his cock against the broad chest. The sly tongue licked and probed, and Link relayed his approval in soft sounds sent through the thick cock in his mouth.

A finger replaced Ganondorf’s tongue. It pushed into Link’s slicked channel and thrust in and out while the Gerudo’s mouth returned its attentions to the Hylian’s cock. Link whimpered in pleasure and instinctively began to thrust down into Ganondorf’s mouth, who opened his throat for him. As he thrust, he didn’t forget his duty to the cock bobbing before his lips. He sucked and stroked at it, and his efforts eventually culminated in a thick stream of hot cum that spilled into his mouth. Link’s cock slipped out from between Ganondorf’s lips when the Gerudo voiced a cry as he came. 

Link swallowed and sucked to keep up with the steady spurts of cum that fell on his tongue. When it had finally ceased, he licked off the remnants from Ganondorf’s cock. Now no longer distracted, Link was forced to acknowledge the growing tension in his lower gut; the tension that wasn’t breaking. His next few thrusts were deeper and harder, but the knot of tension only tightened. He cursed in frustration and stilled his hips. 

But Ganondorf wasn’t having that. The finger in Link’s ass pushed in deeper, and the Hylian tossed his head back with a cry when he felt a bud of warmth bloom deep inside him. He came hard and fast, and the strings of white laced the front of Ganondorf’s kimono. Link’s cock smeared them as he rode out the last of his orgasm. It left him slick with sweat and gasping for breath. 

“I’ve just freed you.”

Link raised his head out of its low position and looked back at Ganondorf. “Freed me?”

Ganondorf made to roll over, and Link shifted off of him to lay down alongside him. He pressed close to the Gerudo and breathed in the lingering scent of sex. Ganondorf’s hand stroked his hair and drew his lips up for a kiss. “Your beloved queen has a foul sense of humor. Before she sent you off to me, she must have done a bit of magic on her own. No matter how hard you tried, you would have never come unless I broke her spell.”

Link recalled the bloom of warmth that had rocked through him. He didn’t want to believe it, but he couldn’t deny the frustration in his body both earlier in the day and a few moments ago. “Why would Queen Zelda do such a thing?” he asked, more to himself.

Ganondorf answered nonetheless. “Obviously my sparing you didn’t satisfy her. So on top of the brand and sending you to be my slave, she denied you any pleasure you would get from your new position.”

“So it was just more punishment for being a traitor?” Link asked with a frown.

“I believe so,” Ganondorf answered. He paused to gauge Link’s expression before asking, “You _are_ a traitor, correct?”

Link relaxed the frown on his face. “Yes, of course.”

The hatred and bitterness in his voice sounded authentic, but it didn’t convince Ganondorf. Link was lying again. But why? Ganondorf had to admit he couldn’t think of any reason. He chalked it up to Link’s conditioning to always think less of himself than others. His arms drew the Hylian closer, and he stroked gently at the spot beneath Link’s left ear. “Traitor or not, I don’t care.” 

Link didn’t reply to that, but he pressed his nose into an unsoiled stretch of Ganondorf’s kimono and relaxed with a deep breath. “There’s no rush to return to the fortress, is there?” he asked in a sleepy voice.

Ganondorf shook his head and pulled a blanket over the two of them against the cooling night air. “No rush,” he confirmed.


	5. Enticement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link does something bad before experiencing something good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all might like this chapter...
> 
> Thank you for reading!

### Enticement

As the days turned into weeks, Link found himself growing fond of the safe and steady familiarity of daily life in the Gerudo territory. Ganondorf set him up with his own room, but most nights Link spent his sleeping hours in the Gerudo king’s bed—unless a member of the tribe was with him. Link didn’t mind this latter. The Gerudo women never treated him like a slave, pleasure or otherwise. They welcomed him into their fold with as much kindness as their king did, and they didn’t mind the attention Ganondorf gave him.

However, Link was lost for the first few days. He wasn’t used to such freedom. Moving about at whim, sleeping in whatever bed he wanted—whether it was his own or another’s—and sharing meals alongside a king… These were luxuries to him. At every moment, he expected it all to be pulled out from beneath his feet like a rug. He waited for Ganondorf to turn cruel or demanding. He even went as far as to try and force himself onto the king—after all, it was expected of him, wasn’t it? But Ganondorf deterred him when he realized Link was acting out of a duty that existed only in his mind. 

“I may own you in Queen Zelda’s eyes, but you’re not obligated to me,” Ganondorf had said, and Link hadn’t dared try again. 

The Hylian found he wasn’t disappointed. He was content to spend the night in Ganondorf’s bed with the Gerudo’s broad chest against his back, and a comforting arm wrapped around him. He could feel Ganondorf’s heart beating against him in the dead of night, when the cold winds had deterred anymore activity in the fortress. It sent him back off into sleep whenever he woke up from a nightmare. Most mornings, Link would wake up to find Ganondorf seated on the edge of the mattress with at least four of his daughters gathered around him on the bed and floor. They took turns sitting between his legs while he braided their long, red hair. They chatted constantly in their native tongue, and Ganondorf answered back in kind.

A little more than a week past his arrival Link was given his own set of scimitars, and he began to learn the Gerudo’s style of swordplay. More than defense, it relied on speed; on the ability to get in under an enemy’s guard and strike quickly before retreating for another go. The women excelled at it, but even Ganondorf had taken the style and built upon it in his own way, using a pair of katanas in lieu of the shorter scimitars given his slower speed. When Link wasn’t busy with swordplay, he practiced his skills in horseback archery. Epona enjoyed the exercise, and Link had fun competing with the Gerudo for the best score.

Despite it all, Link still found himself yearning to be back in Hyrule. He missed the green fields and milder weather. He missed the greater variety of almost every aspect of life. He missed being able to look up at the stars without fearing a freezing wind. The desire to see Hyrule grew with each passing day until Link took advantage of his newfound freedom, and went behind Ganondorf’s back.

There were hyoi pears stored in the kitchen pantry. They were used in cooking, but Link didn’t think anyone would notice if he took one. He sneaked into the pantry one night, swiped a pear, and hid it in his room until the next day. Once everyone was occupied with morning work, Link slipped away from the fortress and made his way to the valley. It was a long walk, but he had learned his lesson about surviving in the desert heat. He took a water skin and wore protective covering, and arrived at the valley with breath to spare. 

But here there were two guards standing watch over the Gerudo side of the valley’s bridge. Link steadied his nervous heart and walked up to them brimming over in confidence. It didn’t take too much to convince them that they were needed back at the fortress, and that Link was to stand guard until a fresh watch arrived. The women parted with words of thanks, looking relieved to return to the fortress’s cooler sanctuary. Once they were out of sight, Link wet his lips with a sip from his water skin before he whistled for the helmaroc. The massive bird swooped into sight after a few seconds, and once it had landed Link shared the hyoi pear with it. This time Link was prepared for the sudden shift in perspective. He got his bearings much faster, and it wasn’t long before Gerudo Valley was shrinking beneath him as he rose higher and higher into the sky on dark wings.

Link didn’t plan on flying for long, but it was easy to get lost in the freedom the helmaroc’s form allowed. While the sun crept higher into the sky, Link’s mind drifted away. He floated between his body and the helmaroc’s in a state of near-unconsciousness, content—until a hard pinch on his body’s arm jerked his mind back into its rightful place.

Link snapped his eyes open with a gasp that burned in his raspy throat. Once more, he had returned to find himself in the tent, and once more Ganondorf was with him. Only this time the Gerudo king looked furious. After shoving a water skin into Link’s hands, he stalked away to the other side of the tent. Link dropped his eyes and took small sips. His clothes were drenched in sweat, and the exposed skin was burned from the sun. More out of instinct than actual regret he said, “I’m sorry, my lord,” in a small voice. Ganondorf scowled at empty air and refused to look at Link. But Link was fine with that. He was used to anger and punishment, and he waited for one or both of them to fall upon him. 

What he didn’t expect was for Ganondorf to say, “This is my fault.” Link looked up at him in surprise, and the Gerudo king continued, “I shouldn’t have let you fly for so long your first time. I should have expected you would get hooked on the freedom, given what you’ve been through. I was a fool.”

Link didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t understand why Ganondorf was taking the blame onto himself. Link was the one who had disobeyed, not him. It made no sense, and Link frowned at his lap as he tried to wrap his head around it. He started when he saw Ganondorf’s hand lower down into view. The palm was open. 

“On your feet,” Ganondorf said, and Link took the hand. “You won’t find any hyoi pears ever again, do you understand?” 

“Yes, my lord,” Link murmured. “How should I atone for disobeying?”

“Atone?” Ganondorf repeated. “You mean punishment?” Link gave a meek nod. “Did Queen Zelda often punish you?”

“When I deserved it, yes.”

“And what did you do to deserve punishment? Give me an example.”

Link swallowed hard, and he gripped the water skin tight between his hands. “If I talked out of turn… If I didn’t agree with her, or wasn’t on time, or didn’t complete a task to her specifications—”

“Were you her protector, or her tool?” Ganondorf cut in.

“I am whatever my queen needs me to be,” Link answered at once. It sounded rehearsed, and Ganondorf frowned at the answer. “What should I do to appease you, my lord?”

Ganondorf crossed the tent to Link’s side. “Later. Your sunburn needs treating.” The black flames took him and Link back to the fortress—back to Ganondorf’s bedroom. Link took a seat on the edge of the bed, and Ganondorf walked to the aloe plant across the room. Soon he was applying the healing gel to Link’s sunburn. The worst of it was on his fingers and face. Ganondorf gently bandaged the fingers, once more adding a spell to speed the healing along. Link’s face was left exposed with only a thin layer of aloe and another spell. 

“Thank you, my lord,” Link murmured once he was treated.

Ganondorf wiped away the aloe’s residue from his fingers. “Now for your punishment,” he began, and he saw Link stiffen. “You are to never refer to me as ‘my lord’ again. Use my name—Ganondorf. Do you understand? If I hear you say it again, you’ll regret it.”

“But—”

“I am not Queen Zelda. I don’t expect nor want you to fawn over me. If you can’t understand that, go take your chances outside the gate.”

Link’s protests fell away, and he bowed his head. Ganondorf waited for some acknowledgment, and the Hylian finally answered with a whispered, “I understand.” 

Ganondorf hoped the vague threat would stick. He wasn’t sure what else he could do to convince Link not to defer to him outside of resorting to corporal punishment. 

Link swallowed. “I’m still thirsty. May I take my leave? I want to get a drink and some food.”

“You don’t need to ask,” Ganondorf answered with a hint of exasperation in his voice. 

Link thanked him, stood up from the bed, and left the chambers. Once he was alone in a quiet hall, he began to practice Ganondorf’s name under his breath.

#

It was like clockwork. Ganondorf’s eyes opened when he felt a tremble pass through the back pressed against his wider chest. He watched the telltale signs of another nightmare as it took hold of Link. The clench of fingers around the blankets; the quickened breaths; the tormented expressions. No words were uttered but whimpers found their way out of Link’s throat, and tears worked down his cheeks to stain the pillow.

The temptation to look into Link’s mind was almost too strong to ignore. Indeed, Ganondorf’s right hand was moving towards the Hylian’s forehead when he remembered himself, and drew it back. It was only a few seconds later when Link awoke with a gasp. His eyes shot open and scanned the room with rapid sweeps. Sweat broke out on his hairline and dampened his mussed locks.

This time, Ganondorf didn’t pretend to be asleep. He shifted to let Link know he was awake before asking, “Are you all right?”

“Yes, my—” Link stopped himself just in time. “Yes,” he repeated.

“Do you want to talk about your nightmares?” Ganondorf asked next. His hand coasted down Link’s arm, but he stopped when he felt the Hylian stiffen.

Link shrugged his free shoulder. “You’ve heard it already.”

“Your abuse?”

“Yes.”

Link was trying to appear nonchalant, but Ganondorf could see the fear and strain that was still in his eyes. He dropped his hand to Link’s hip and again felt him react. “You tense when I touch you. Is it because of your experiences?”

“I suppose,” Link answered. His eyes stared straight ahead, and he barely blinked. 

“But you are fine with initiating contact yourself.”

“Of course. It’s my choice then.” Realizing what he had said, Link cast a startled look up at Ganondorf. “I mean…”

Ganondorf smirked a little. “So there is a nugget of independence in you. I’ve seen it before, but it’s good to know you acknowledge it as well.”

Link blushed and looked away, but it wasn’t long before he had turned onto his back to look up at Ganondorf again. His hand rose to trace the line of the Gerudo king’s beard. “The captain used to tell me I was worthless—that I was only good for sticking his cock in. He would tell me I wouldn’t be a knight in training if it wasn’t for him. He would hit me, and once he sprained my wrist when he pulled it too hard. I had to bite back my screams so that the other trainees wouldn’t hear us. But they knew. I wasn’t always quiet, and I would wake up with bruises I didn’t have when I went to bed. They knew, and they either didn’t care or they were too afraid to say anything. I can’t blame the ones who were afraid, but being at the mercy of the others’ jokes hurt me even more.”

The fingers stroking Ganondorf’s beard tightened a little. He lifted his hand and pulled them away, then lowered his head to meet Link in a kiss. He gripped the smaller fingers gently in his hand and guided them to his chest. They roved over his broad chest, and Link’s bandaged thumb slid over a dark nipple. When it had perked up, he shifted down to better suck it into his mouth. 

Ganondorf groaned in pleasure, but as good as that felt he wanted to taste Link’s lips again. He gently took hold of Link’s chin and guided him back up into another languid kiss. His hand cupped the Hylian’s neck and he felt the quickening pulse. It wasn’t fear making it thrum this time. There was willingness in every inch of Link’s body. Another piece of the shell that hid the true him had broken away with the confession of his nightmares. 

They broke apart to catch their breaths. Link’s paler cheeks was flushed red. “Tonight?” he asked.

Ganondorf’s answer was to flip over onto his back, taking Link with him. They had switched positions in a fluid motion, and Link sat up straight in surprise to find himself straddling Ganondorf’s waist. His hands splayed across the Gerudo king’s belly to steady himself. “What are you doing?” Link asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ganondorf asked in return. “In this position, you can’t see the old man’s pouch I’m developing.” Link arched an eyebrow, unsure if that was a joke. “You should take advantage of my vanity, don’t you think?”

“That sounds like an invitation,” Link remarked with a small smile. His eyes cast around as if in inspiration, and he spied the _obi_ Ganondorf had placed on the bedside table. Link leaned to the side and snagged hold of it. It spilled out of its careful fold to swing lazily from his fingers. Ganondorf obediently raised his arms over his head, and Link moved up to tie them to the headboard. He made the knot loose and comfortable—he wasn’t Queen Zelda—but seeing Ganondorf in such a vulnerable position was enough to spike his arousal. It helped when Ganondorf took advantage of Link’s position to bury his face into the crook of the Hylian’s pants. His breaths were warm against the fabric, and his tongue was wet when it licked the cloaked length of Link’s hardening cock.

Link’s hips jerked forward towards the touch, and he felt Ganondorf pull at his pants with his teeth. “Want a taste?” Link asked in a heady voice. He pushed his pants down and pressed the tip of his cock against Ganondorf’s lips. The Gerudo eagerly accepted it, taking the whole of Link into his mouth at once. His tongue teased its length before it was drawn out, only to be pushed back in after a pause. The hesitation in Link’s body was stripped away bit by bit the more Ganondorf’s mouth mapped his cock. When the Gerudo king sucked hard on him, Link had to drop his hand and gently push him away.

“Not yet,” Link gasped. He shifted down Ganondorf’s body, smirking at the bound man. “I want to come with you inside of me.”

Ganondorf couldn’t bite back his groan of desire when Link took hold of his hardened cock and pressed its length into the cleft of his ass. The Hylian ground against him and soon felt an overeager spurt of warm cum mark his lower back. He used it to slick Ganondorf’s cock and his entrance.

“I’m too big,” Ganondorf pointed out. Concern warred with the arousal in his eyes. 

“You’re fine,” Link assured him. He was guiding Ganondorf with a bandaged hand. “Even a cock as big as yours has more give than a drinking glass.”

“A dr— _fuck.”_ Ganondorf’s hips rose when Link lowered himself onto the first inch of his cock. The motion drove more of him into the Hylian, and Link sucked in a hissing breath. It melted into a moan, and he turned lustful eyes onto Ganondorf.

“I’m going to fuck myself on you.”

“Is that so?” Ganondorf watched Link’s body straighten. His thin fingers spread across the Gerudo’s abdomen, and he began to rise and fall along the length of the cock that speared him. He felt wonderful, and Ganondorf’s hips rose to meet him whenever he fell. Link moaned each time the cock drove in. Eyes closed in ecstasy, he fell into Ganondorf’s rhythm. His small but strong body rode the Gerudo with unrestrained pleasure while one of his hands worked at his cock. He came first, and white threads of cum fell against the Gerudo’s dark stomach as he shouted, “Ganondorf!” 

The clench of his body drove Ganondorf into an orgasm next. His cum filled Link, and it dripped out of the Hylian when he pulled himself free some time later. They caught their breaths in a silence broken only by their gasps and the crackle of the fireplace. Ganondorf watched the flickering light play against the sweat on Link’s body.

“Well…” Link said, breathless. “That was… liberating. I’m sorry I didn’t last longer.”

Ganondorf shook his head. “You were beautiful,” he praised. “It was almost as if you were a whole other person.”

Link smiled a little at that. “You were wonderful too. Thank you for the distraction. I can’t even remember my nightmare anymore.”

“I’m at your service anytime,” Ganondorf said. That drew a light laugh from Link. “We should clean up and go back to bed. Do you mind…?” He raised his eyes towards the _obi_ around his wrists.

Link moved up to untie the _obi,_ although Ganondorf could have freed himself with a half-effort. It was folded and returned to the bedside table, and Link disappeared into the washroom for a few minutes while Ganondorf wiped himself clean. He was already laying down, eyes closed, when Link returned to the bed. The frame creaked, and a soft kiss touched Ganondorf’s lips before Link laid his head on the Gerudo’s chest. Ganondorf wrapped an arm around him and felt him slowly relax back into sleep.


	6. Pins and Needles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some sparring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy, thank you!

### Pins and Needles

It was imperative that Link stayed busy. If he idled too long, his thoughts began to drift towards the green land of Hyrule that sat on the horizon. He would find himself walking towards the head of the path that led out of the desert, only to turn around when he felt as if someone was watching him. Dreams intruded upon his rest; images of his years in the castle, both good and bad. Both of them jerked him out of sleep more often than not.

Ganondorf sensed Link’s restlessness; his torn emotions for the kingdom he was forced to abandon; the feeling that he didn’t belong even as he grew more comfortable among the Gerudo. He did his best to ease Link’s mind while working on the ex-knight’s remaining inhibitions. He was still too docile at times; too obedient. He was growing braver in the bedroom, but in the public eye he was too subservient.

“You’re too eager to please,” Ganondorf remarked one day during breakfast. He felt as if he had said some manner of the same thing everyday since Link’s unceremonious arrival. 

Link had reached for the plate of bread at the center of the table, but had withdrawn his hand when Ganondorf reached as well. “I’m sorry,” Link said. 

Was he apologizing for reaching? For showing deference? For something else entirely? Ganondorf had stopped trying to keep track. “Go on,” he encouraged with a gesture towards the bread. With many a glance at Ganondorf’s stony face, Link reached out once more and took the thinnest slice of bread. Ganondorf watched him with some impatience. He wanted to see more of the knight in Link. The bits and pieces of the Hylian’s independence he had exposed weren’t enough. He wanted to see Link _shining._

Ganondorf selected a slice of bread, buttered it generously, and took a large bite. “Do you have any plans today?” he asked once his mouth was empty. Link looked up from the thin layer of butter he was applying to his bread to shake his head. “Good. Meet me at the sparring ring after breakfast. It’s time you show me what you’ve learned of swordplay from my girls.”

“You want a demonstration?” 

“I want a duel.”

A touch of red came to Link’s cheeks. “Oh...”

“You don’t sound enthusiastic about that,” Ganondorf observed. 

“It’s not that,” Link answered, and he gave a cautious smirk. “I just don’t want to hurt you.” 

Ganondorf broke into hearty laughter. Perhaps there was hope for Link yet.

Word spread quickly from the kitchen that Ganondorf and Link would be dueling. When the two men arrived to the sparring ring, it was to find nearly all of the tribe crowded on and around the single spectators stand. They cheered Link and playfully booed Ganondorf. 

Link appeared surprised by this latter. “Shouldn’t you be wishing your king good luck?” he asked the Gerudo who gave him his set of scimitars. She laughed, and it spread to the other women like fire.

Ganondorf was indifferent. “They mean no real harm,” he assured Link when the Hylian cast him a look of worry. “You’re their new favorite, after all.”

Link blushed at that, smiled a little, and turned to the crowd. A few flashy twirls of his scimitars had them whooping and clapping. His ease with blades was Ganondorf’s first hint that he might lose the match. The second, louder hint was the look that came to Link’s blue eyes when he faced Ganondorf from across the ring. An unpleasant feeling of familiarity traveled up Ganondorf’s spine. No, it couldn’t be…

The Gerudo who was serving as judge dropped a silk handkerchief, and Link dashed forward. He was quick, and smart. He was trying to get inside the reach of the katanas Ganondorf wielded. He was already applying the methods he had learned from the Gerudo style of fighting: move in, strike fast, and retreat before the lack of proper defense could become a problem.

However, Ganondorf was king of the Gerudo. He knew his people’s fighting styles better than any Hylian ever could. His experience allowed him to easily counter Link’s first strike before retaliating. Link’s speed was well-suited for the Gerudo style. He also avoided a hit, and the Gerudo cheered him once he was out of Ganondorf’s reach. 

Link appeared to swell with confidence under the attention. He initiated the first approach yet again, and he was more aggressive this time. Ganondorf had to work harder at avoiding his swords. Once he thought he had the match. He slashed down when Link was on poor footing; his height guaranteeing him an advantage over the shorter Hylian that froze in his shadow. But in a cloud of dust Link had rolled away—parried, in fact—and Ganondorf barely got a katana to his back in time to block the sword that would have torn into his _haori._ He had nearly lost the match!

Link knew this, and a rare laugh escaped him. “That was a trick of my own,” he crowed as he circled back into Ganondorf’s line of sight. “Did you like it?” His amusement faltered when he saw a dark expression come over Ganondorf’s face.

No, Ganondorf hadn’t liked it. Something about the move had sparked a deep memory in his subconscious. A memory he didn’t want to remember, but which clouded his vision over with anger. Link mistook it for an expression of challenge. His uneasy look vanished, and he moved in to engage Ganondorf once again. The two sets of blades clashed, sparked, and separated only to repeat a similar pattern. 

The Gerudo had ceased their cheers. They could sense something had changed in their king, and they watched with bated breath while Ganondorf slowly but surely forced Link back. If the Hylian crossed the rope line of the sparring ring, it would be an automatic loss. One way or another, Ganondorf was pushing for a win.

That was the easy explanation. Ganondorf, however, was lost in the memories that were rising to the surface of his mind. He saw Link at a much younger age; as a stubborn, ignorant, interfering child. One who gave no consideration for what Ganondorf wanted to achieve as king. But here Ganondorf had the edge. He knew what to expect when Link placed his foot there, and shifted his weight like so. It came as no surprise when Link used Ganondorf’s next downswing to his advantage. He stepped onto Ganondorf’s strong arm and from there he flipped over the Gerudo’s head to get behind him.

Ganondorf had already turned, knowing what to expect. A katana sang through the air, and in the split second before it found flesh Ganondorf saw Link’s eyes widen with fear. The brief, panic-stricken look snapped Ganondorf out of his memories, but not soon enough. The katana sliced open the left side of Link’s face from his hairline to his lower jaw. Blood fanned across the sand in a broad stroke of crimson, and Link stumbled to the ground.

The Gerudo sucked in a collective gasp. In the following silence a strangled scream escaped Link’s throat, and a flap of skin folded down from the wound. His eyes sprang tears of pain as he scrambled back across the ring’s edge—with difficulty, as his left hand had to hold the wound closed. Despite this, blood spilled out to stain his clothes and the ground. 

Ganondorf dropped his katanas and followed the blood-spotted trail to where Link had stopped outside the ring. _“Shh, shh...”_ Ganondorf dropped to his knees, reached out, and replaced Link’s shaking hand with his own. The blood felt warm against his palm; it smelled brightly of iron. Link sat still, whimpering, with eyes closed against the pain. He didn’t push Ganondorf away, and this troubled the Gerudo king more than anything else. 

Ganondorf snapped wide yellow eyes to the spectators. “Someone get Aveil!” he roared. “Tell her to bring her medical kit!” Two Gerudo broke away from the stands to carry out the order. Ganondorf returned his attention back to Link and used what magic he could to stem the bleeding. He had it largely under control by the time Aveil arrived with a bag of black hide swinging from her hand.

Ganondorf and the other Gerudo stood a respectful distance back to observe while Aveil cleaned Link’s wound before stitching it closed with a curved needle and black thread. Link withstood the pain with an almost detached patience, but Ganondorf could hardly watch. Every dark stitch that grew across Link’s skin was a reminder of what Ganondorf had done. 

#

It was nighttime, and late into it. Late enough to feel the bite of the cold winds that slipped past the wooden shutters. Ganondorf sat in bed and relished the numb touch against his bare skin. Beside him, Link lay in sleep. The line of stitches extended the left corner of his lips into a macabre smile. Ganondorf watched discomfort tighten the Hylian’s relaxed face, and Link turned his head to rub his stitches against his pillow. The pain potion was wearing off. Ganondorf gently turned Link’s head back and murmured a word of magic to ease him into a deeper sleep.

Link had accepted Ganondorf’s explanation and multiple apologies with hardly a batted eye. _I lost myself in the heat of battle. I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened._ But Ganondorf knew what had happened. Facing off against Link, his mind had tapped into the memories of his past lives: the Gerudo kings who had tried and failed to conquer Hyrule. They had all been stopped by a Hero of the era. A Hero who, apparently, was an ancestor of Link’s.

_You don’t know that,_ one side of Ganondorf’s mind argued.

_But it all makes sense,_ Ganondorf argued back. If he pieced together what he knew of Link’s past, and the special attention Zelda had given him… _She knows, too. She wanted his child. Why? I’m no threat to Hyrule, and thus Link hasn’t awoken as a Hero. He could have had children with any other woman. Instead, Zelda chose him._

How did she choose him? Ganondorf wondered next. How did she know, even as a young child, who Link was? He was a nameless babe abandoned on the edge of the woods. It didn’t make sense. Thus, Ganondorf must be wrong, and it was all just a coincidence. Just the Goddesses’ strings being woven into familiar patterns. Nothing more or less.

Eased, Ganondorf finally allowed himself to relax against his pillows. He shifted close to Link and pressed a kiss to the Hylian’s forehead. Tomorrow he would do everything he could to make up for his terrible behavior. For now, it was enough to know Link was safe and whole. “What have I gotten myself into with you?” Ganondorf murmured with a good-natured chuckle. 

Link’s free ear twitched, drawing another soft laugh from Ganondorf. When it twitched again and pivoted towards the shuttered window, the amusement began to fade away. Dread pooled in Ganondorf’s stomach when Link sat up and blinked sleep from his eyes. “Do thear that?” Link asked. The words were slurred by the stitches that pulled at his mouth, and by the touch of Ganondorf’s magic he had fought through to wake up. Whatever had caught his attention, it had touched a nerve.

Ganondorf couldn’t hear anything, and he said so. Link hushed him almost angrily before getting out of bed and walking to the window. The shutters were thrown open, and the fireplace guttered in the wake of the cold wind that swept in unabated. Ganondorf cursed and drew a blanket around himself, and again Link hushed him. He was listening hard with one ear cocked at the clear sky. The whole of the stronghold was utterly still.

“Bellsh,” Link pronounced. Seeing Ganondorf’s confusion, he repeated with pained care, _“Bells._ From Thy— _Hyrule.”_

“Bells?” Ganondorf echoed. “I don’t hear anything.”

“I do,” Link said. His eyes were fixed eastward. Both ears twitched, and he frowned.

“Why would bells be ringing in the middle of the night?” Ganondorf asked. “Unless a Royal Family member has died, or… Or...”

“Ish born?” Link supplied in a quiet voice.

The dread thickened in Ganondorf’s stomach and churned slowly. He reached a hand out towards Link. “Close the window and come back to bed. There’s nothing to do about it right now. We’ll need to wait for a formal announcement from the Royal Family.”

Ganondorf expected Link to refuse; to demand they leave now. But for once Link’s subservience worked in the Gerudo king’s favor. He closed the shutters, fastened them, and returned to the bed where he eagerly curled up against Ganondorf’s warm body. His skin was freezing from the short time he had spent in front of the open window. Ganondorf drew Link closer, wrapping an arm around him, and stroked his back until sleep took Link again.

#

The formal announcement arrived within a day. It was uncharacteristically quick. Ganondorf could remember waiting for a week before word had arrived to the Gerudo about Princess Zelda’s birth. So she wanted to rub it in Link’s face? Was that it? To assume that was to assume she knew Ganondorf had kept Link around. What else did she know?

_Still think it’s a coincidence?_ Ganondorf’s mind teased. He pushed the thought aside. He had kept Link out of sight while the herald was in the stronghold, but he couldn’t keep him from reading the gilded announcement. Emotions warred on the Hylian’s face as he read to the scroll’s end.

“They named her Hylia,” he murmured. He was talking better this morning thanks to a bit of magic Ganondorf had applied to encourage the wound to heal. A small smile scrunched his stitches together. “I suggested that name after the diviners confirmed it was a girl.” His blue eyes scanned further down. “There’s an invitation to visit the castle and welcome her.”

Ganondorf sighed and braced himself for an argument. “Don’t get your hopes up. There’s no way Queen Zelda will allow you to enter her castle—no, her kingdom—ever again.”

“She didn’t mean to—”

“She marked you as a traitor.”

“That’s not...”

“She publicly humiliated you and would have readily executed you had I not chosen exile.”

“And I appreciate that,” Link said with an earnest look of gratitude. “But you don’t understand.” His eyes dropped back to the scroll.

“What am I not understanding?” Ganondorf asked. “Are you saying there was another reason why she burned that brand into your back, allowed her guards to strip, bind, and beat you, and threw you at my feet as her twisted idea of a gift? Why would anyone willingly endure something like that?”

Link’s eyes hardened, and the stitches shifted when his jaw tightened. “My queen knows best,” was all he said.

“She’s not your queen any—”

“Take me to her,” Link demanded with sudden vehemence. When Ganondorf made to again refuse, he added, “Take me to see my daughter, and if you ask me again I’ll tell you why I trust my queen.”

So he was hiding something after all. Ganondorf studied Link, looking for a hint at what lay behind the Hylian’s foolish loyalty. Link gave nothing away. A steadfast knight stared back at Ganondorf. It wasn’t long before curiosity—and guilt over yesterday’s behavior—won over common sense, and Ganondorf answered, “Fine. We’ll leave tomorrow. But I’ll warn you now, you must follow my every command if I’m to slip you into the castle undetected. You must stay at my side, and you can only observe. If you fail to do so, it will be both of us hanging from the gallows. Do you accept those terms?”

The bright-eyed expression that softened Link’s face told Ganondorf it was more than he had expected. “Yes, of course, my lord,” Link rushed out, forgetting himself. 

Ganondorf allowed him the lapse this time, but he silently cursed himself for folding so easily. Link truly had grown on him. He wondered how dangerous that would make things at the castle.


	7. A Rocky Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf and Link return to Hyrule Castle where doubts surface in the hours before meeting Queen Zelda and her new daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guess who's back and hopefully will do a better job updating, this guy right here.

### A Rocky Return

The carriage rattled and rolled its way across Hyrule, guided by the finest of Gerudo horses. Ganondorf felt the journey in his back, and he winced often. It seemed his driver today was intent on finding every rock and rut in the road. A particularly deep dip jolted up Ganondorf’s spine, and he hissed in pain and irritation.

Link pulled his eyes away from a window to look upon Ganondorf in concern. He had watched Hyrule pass by through a few inches’ part in the curtain, all while staying still and seated in the middle of the seat opposite Ganondorf. Only his neck had budged, tilting his head a little to catch a glimpse of something early. He kept his hands clasped together to prevent them from busying themselves with twisting and wringing.

“I’m fine,” Ganondorf said in answer to the silent question on Link’s face. “I’m just old.” Link returned to his sightseeing, and Ganondorf fell to watching the emotions that were trying to break out over the Hylian’s marred face. The wound had finally closed with healthy doses of both Ganondorf’s magic and Gerudo medicine in the past twenty-four hours. It should have healed quicker – and flawlessly – on the first day, but it had been stubborn. Ganondorf knew it was his fault. Some sort of malice had tainted his unintended attack on Link. As a result, a pinkish scar divided the left side of Link’s face. He would have it forever.

To distract himself from his aches and thoughts, Ganondorf prompted Link, “Tell me again what I told you this morning.”

The look Link gave Ganondorf this time was one of amused impatience. “Haven’t you learned by now that I’m good at following instructions?”

“Humor me,” Ganondorf replied. “This entire thing sits ill with me. I want to know I don’t need to worry about anything, and that includes you.” A foolish thing to say. He knew there would be no peace of mind until he and Link had put the castle behind them.

Link sighed, but the amusement remained in his face. Something about being on Hyrulean soil had put him in one of the brightest moods Ganondorf had ever seen in him. Not even the scar could darken it. “From the moment the carriage pulls up to the castle, I exist only in your eyes and ears. I’m not to speak at all, and I’m to walk with a light step. This will mean less work for your cloaking sorcery, thus an easier time of keeping me hidden.”

He was reciting it nearly word for word. Ganondorf frowned at the faint tone of humor in Link’s voice, and added, “Don’t forget to stay within the line of magic. I can extend my sorcery only so far without Queen Zelda growing suspicious. She won’t bat an eye at what she perceives to be glamour magic – she uses it herself, I believe. But she expects it to contain itself to me, which means you need to stick close. Don’t touch anything either. Being invisible and silenced doesn’t make you incorporeal. Keep an eye on your surroundings, and don’t trip into anyone or anything.”

Link nodded in compliance. “How long will we be staying?” he asked.

Ganondorf sighed. He had been dreading this question. “I don’t know. At least one night. I don’t want to linger, and the longer we stay the more inclined you’ll be to sneak away from me.” He saw Link jerk in surprise, and he smiled a little. “My question is, which little lady would you be sneaking off to?”

Link returned troubled eyes to the narrow view, and Ganondorf left him to his silence. He only hoped the Hylian’s penchant for compliance would win over his loyalty to the queen and keep him in line.

Not long after Caste Town’s bustling took over the quiet serenity of Hyrule Field, the view once more gave way to a peaceful expanse of green and flowers. The main road to the castle divided the royal gardens into two neat halves. Workers in the fields looked up when the Gerudian carriage rode past with its small entourage of horseback warriors. They didn’t bother with the foolishness of carrying pennants. A Gerudo’s hands were always free to grab a weapon if necessary, and their looks set them apart well enough.

It would be some time before Zelda was free to receive her newest guests; others had arrived before them and required attention first. Thus, Ganondorf was led to guest chambers while his warriors took up beds – and likely bedmates – in the barracks. Link stuck close to him, as he was told. A line of orange magic splashed out around Ganondorf, unseen by all save for the two of them. It followed the twitches and tugs of his clothes, but allowed for a few feet of breathing room for Link. An unseen bit of sorcery, coupled with Ganondorf’s reputation, encouraged passersby to naturally avoid drawing close enough to step over the line.

Once they were within the walls of the guest room, however, Link was free to move about. Ganondorf’s sorcery would give him enough notice of any visitors before they even knocked, so it was with a welcome sigh that he dropped the spells from around himself; shrugging out of them as if they were a heavy cloak. He followed this up with his real clothes on his way to the adjoining washroom where a steaming bath had already been drawn. If Hyrule Castle had one thing going for it, it was their bathtubs. They were sunk down into the floor, allowing one to easily slip in or out. His pained back was grateful for it.

Ganondorf was soaking with eyes closed when he felt Link slip into the tub. He opened his eyes in surprise. They hadn’t shared a bath in a long while. “What is it?” he prompted when Link only squeezed a rag between his hands.

Link frowned down at the water. “Would you wash my hair?” he asked in return.

“You have a lot of worries on your mind?” 

“You could say that.”

Instead of prying, Ganondorf sat up straighter in the tub and drew Link closer to him. The Hylian’s eyes closed when tonic was worked into his hair. Ganondorf thought it was in bliss at first until he rinsed Link’s hair and noticed not all of the water came from the cup in his hands. Ganondorf finished as if nothing was wrong, then leaned back and waited.

Link made no attempt to hide his grief. He wiped the tears from his eyes and fixed a trembling look at the water. “I won’t even be able to hold her, will I?”

There was no point in giving Link false hope. “No, you won’t. That’s not something I can hide in front of the queen. I’m sorry, Link.”

Link raised a hand in a halfhearted gesture of forgiveness. “You warned me ahead of time. I suppose… I thought coming here might somehow change things…”

“She exiled you,” Ganondorf reminded him.

“Not without reason,” Link insisted through clenched teeth. 

“Then tell me the reason,” Ganondorf pressed. “Prove to me why she deserves such loyalty from you after all she’s done. This whole thing has stank from the start. There’s no way you can convince me you hate the Gerudo so much that you conspired to spark a war. What was the real reason behind your actions?”

An irritable sigh escaped Link. “I told you – I want to see my daughter first. Then I’ll answer your questions.”

“No, what you told me was that if I brought you here to see Princess Hylia you would tell me why you trust Queen Zelda so much,” Ganondorf corrected. “Well now we’re here, and tomorrow you’ll see your daughter, but I want a better understanding of what’s at play behind the curtains before I stand before the queen again. By smuggling you here I am putting not only my life on the line, but all of my tribe’s lives as well. I deserve answers.”

Ganondorf kept his voice as steady and nonthreatening as possible. Even so, Link quailed a bit and cast his eyes around as if looking for help or an escape. He was still within Ganondorf’s reach, and the Gerudo placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “It pains me to make demands of you, knowing what you’ve been through. But I have an ancestry of bloodshed sitting on my shoulders that I have no wish to see continued. Another war with Hyrule will destroy the Gerudo people forever. I can’t take blind risks. Do you understand?”

“I do,” Link whispered. He reached up, took hold of Ganondorf’s wrist, and guided the hand from his shoulder to his scarred cheek. Ganondorf rubbed his thumb along the mark, and Link leaned his head into the touch. “Did you know the women of the Royal Family bloodline carry the gift of prophecy?”

“I’ve heard stories,” Ganondorf answered slowly. No point in going into how those stories came from his ancestral memories. 

“The gift is real enough,” Link continued. “The princess knew things about me. She knew my name, what I looked like, even how I lost my parents… She knew things I had never told any of the matrons at the orphanage. She had dreams about me, you see. Even as a young girl she showed a strong talent for her bloodline’s gift. 

“The princess told me that in the first dream, a voice spoke of how she would give birth to a hero. She saw me grown up – how I look now – even though we were both just kids at the time. She realized what it meant: that I would be the father of the hero. Only with my help could the hero be born. Now Hylia’s here, so when Hyrule needs her they’ll know where to turn.”

It all sounded so thin to Ganondorf, and he said as much. “And this is why you trust Queen Zelda so completely? Because she got a few things right?” He pulled his hand back and shook his head in disbelief.

Link frowned a bit. “Not only that. She gave me a purpose. I would probably be on the streets if not for her, or maybe even dead.”

“And now you’re an exiled knight who was once merely an object to a sadistic captain, and a means to an end for your queen. Yes, that’s a much better fate.”

The frown deepened across Link’s brow. “I answered your questions. It’s not my fault if those answers don’t meet your expectations.” He gained his feet a bit unsteadily in the slippery bath and stepped out. “You could have just said no when I asked you to bring me here. You have an easier time with that word than I ever will.”

Ganondorf had no comeback that didn’t sound harsh, so he watched in silence as Link dried off and dressed himself. He was only feet away from the edge of the bath, but it felt like miles to Ganondorf.


End file.
